San Antonio Police Chief William McManus says it is nearly impossible for a police force to stop a random shooter like the one that killed nearly 60 people in Las Vegas early today, absent one factor, which police in Vegas did not have, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
"This is not preventable unless we have intelligence that would lead us to believe that something like this wound happen, anything at all," McManus said. "But these random type events, they're off the radar, unless we have intelligence on them."
McManus says a dedicated criminal could easily transport several disassembled guns through a major hotel.
"This doesn't have anything to do with hotel security," he said. "Anyone can walk up to any room with a suitcase, with a golf bag, whatever it may be. So all the talk about increasing hotel security, it's just not there.
McManus says absent the U.S. making a major investment to become an 'Israeli style 'security state,' where you need to go through a metal detector to go through metal detectors to enter restaurants and malls, that type of security isn't likely.
He says he doesn't think that's a level off security that Americans can accept.
He says since San Antonio is not unlike Vegas, in having large events, lots of tourists, and high rise hotels, he and his command staff make sure that the security level for events like Fiesta, and like the upcoming Final Four and Tricentennial, are as strong as they can possibly be.
So, what advice does McManus have for people who might be caught in a Vegas style incident?
"I have two words that would best describe what someone should do in that type of situation, and that is 'get small'," he said. Get real small, and run for the exit if you can."