Here in Pennsylvania, we had a school shooting of a Lancaster County Amish school in 2006. The shooter took 10 girls between the ages of 6-13 as hostages, shooting 10 and killing 8. It was a very heart-breaking day for everyone in the area and surrounding area.
I was was the third Trooper on the scene. Normally, I worked the third shift, but I was asked to fill in for another Trooper that week. Our protocol is that the first Trooper on the scene takes charge of the scene until the lead Investigator arrives or a senior member of the investigation team arrives.
The community, both Amish and what the Amish call the "English' came together with an outpouring of sympathy. Later, the Amish decided to destroy the school and rebuild it in a secret location. The "English" donated a lot of money for their cause. The Amish's position is not to accept donations , or gifts from the "English" for any cause, but made an exception this one time, only because the outpouring was so large that to refuse the donations may have divided the community, which to this point is not an issue.
I just wanted to post this message to show that sometimes, although we don't think so, a tragedy can have a good side as well. Not a good outcome, but a good side. The State Police was also honored by the Amish for our quick response and professionalism that we showed at the scene. We (the State Police) that responded on that day, as well as some of the "English" were also invited to attend the funeral. To see those caskets that held the little girls left no one having dry eyes.