"Don't get your guns yet! A bulletproof vest will do!"
Jack immediately requested a bulletproof vest. It wasn't because he was worried about stray bullets, though the Subaru, borrowed from the local FBI office, wasn't bulletproof. It was primarily to prevent accidental hits.
The "strolling" group at the intersection had long since passed, and the police cars that had been blocking traffic had released traffic, but there was still some congestion.
Furthermore, it was completely dark. Although the shops on Mel Street were brightly lit,
the area was in chaos. Jack didn't even dare to get out of the car with his gun drawn to investigate. Imagine the police officers, already on edge from the sudden incident, suddenly seeing three heavily armed men exit a black SUV. What would their first reaction be?
This was somewhat different from the firefight the Most Wanted team encountered in Charlotte (Chapter 777), which was caused by the ATF's arrest of a felon. While both incidents were sudden, they were still some distance away from the scene, having reported and provided support.
Strictly speaking, the incident in Charlotte wasn't a surprise attack. The joint ATF and Marshals Service task force had notified and reported the operation to the local police beforehand, but it ultimately devolved from an arrest into a premeditated ambush.
Therefore, when Jiejie contacted the Charlotte police directly, she quickly obtained preliminary information, successfully filed a report, and only entered the scene after receiving approval.
The current situation seemed even more urgent, so they entered immediately. From the incessant, escalating gunfire, they could easily determine that this "scene" might be closing in on them.
Jack, on his side, was completely in the dark, knowing only that the gunman might be targeting the nearby parade.
As the chaos unfolded, a "smart guy" up ahead abandoned his car and ran in the opposite direction of the gunfire.
Jack and Aubrey hesitated to act rashly, donning their bulletproof vests and observing the situation outside while awaiting Jiejie's call for further information.
As expected, the local FBI office was even more bewildered than the three people at the scene, as it had been less than three minutes since the first gunshot.
The gunfire had subsided, but the chaos on the street remained, and the reactions of the people were varied.
Some, like the clever little guy in front of Jack's car, abandoned their vehicles and fled the scene, while others gazed at the shop windows on both sides of the street with glaring eyes. Fortunately,
there was already a sufficient police presence at the scene. While most officers were also in a state of confusion, they still had their professionalism and instinctively tried to maintain order.
"Hey, officer!" Aubrey seized the opportunity, opened the car door, and shouted to a white, portly officer who looked elderly.
The officer, sweating profusely, turned to look at him, holding his police radio in his hand, and froze in his place. After several seconds, he seemed to react to the FBI-emblazoned bulletproof vest on Aubrey's body.
"Senior FBI agent Jim Aubrey, the person in the car is my colleague. Could you tell us what happened? Maybe we can help."
The fat police officer blinked. Just when Aubrey thought he didn't hear clearly and was about to repeat it loudly, he pulled up his belt, called his partner, and ran towards Suboband.
"Oh my God, are you really federal agents? We don't know what happened. The radio is a mess. We only heard that a police officer fell to the ground at the intersection ahead, at the intersection of Mel Street and Lamar Street in front of us."
Seeing that the two sides had already started talking, Jack left the cab, took out his ID and held it high, "Officer, we are one of us, the most wanted criminal team.
We have equipment with us and may be able to help, but we need your help to report to the command center."
Although his face was pale and his forehead was covered with sweat from nervousness, the fat police officer understood what they meant at the first time. He pressed the talkie button with a surprised expression and reported his police number.
At the same time, Jack opened the trunk door, opened the weapon box in the surprised eyes of the fat police officer and his female partner, and threw a Noveske N4 to Aubrey. At
this time, Jiejie also got out of the car from the passenger seat, still holding a mobile phone in her hand, "Jack, the Dallas office has contacted DPD (abbreviation of the Dallas Police Department) and informed them that a senior detective happened to be at the scene."
"OK, then let's go over and take a look. This... Officer Smith, are you willing to come with us? "Jack looked at the other party's badge and read out the fat officer's last name.
Although a two-pronged approach was taken and both sides had notified the DPD, Jack was still a little worried about being accidentally shot by his own people. After all, you can't expect the police officers on the scene to always pay attention to the reports on the radio in the chaos.
At times like this, it would obviously be a safe bet to have a uniformed police officer by your side.
"Well, but the higher-ups asked me to." The fat police officer, who was already a little shocked by the three FBI agents who were fully armed in a few minutes, could not help but stare in amazement and subconsciously looked in the direction where the gunshots were heard again.
"I'll go with you." The female partner who had been following the fat Officer Smith silently, a petite and very young-looking female police officer with a little baby fat on her face, suddenly spoke up.
"I volunteer to go with you." The young police officer, who looked to be in her early 20s at most, took the initiative to extend her right hand to Jack.
While shaking her hand, Jack also read out the last name on her badge, "Thank you for your assistance, Officer Rocha. This young
rookie officer was a rare female policewoman, a rare example of a policewoman, her face still slightly flushed with nervousness and excitement.
Dallas's urban layout resembled Los Angeles, or perhaps most modern American cities, with its square, perfectly regular blocks.
Behind them stood Dealey Plaza, where Kennedy was assassinated. To their right stood a church and the memorial plaza later built to commemorate Kennedy's assassination. To their left stood the Dallas City Hall.
The four members of the makeshift team continued forward, passing an unnamed garden to the east. To the north, a complex of beige buildings appeared on their left.
Gunfire was now coming from further east of this building, directly in front of them, and it sounded even more intense than before.
"Damn it! That's El Centro Central College!" Officer Rocha, walking alongside Jiejie, exclaimed.
The incident was based on the 2016 Dallas police shooting.
(End of chapter)