On September 28, 2025, Sgt. Scott Heimann was an element leader for small, Western Kansas Tactical Team at a barricaded subject call. The suspect had run his ex-girlfriend off the road, and was now refusing to exit his residence. Sgt. Heimann led a containment team on a scout of the rear of the structure. Finding no improved position, they returned to their previous location. After hearing a strange noise coming from the target structure, they advanced and used white light to check the backyard. Seeing nothing, they backed up, but a single, suppressed rifle round was fired from inside the structure. As officers reacted to the downed officer, command was advised that the suspect was using thermal optics. This debrief covers how the officers on the ground and at the command post reacted during worst callout in their team's history.

This debrief will provide background on the officer, the suspect, the team, and the situation. We will explain the way this situation changed from a patrol matter to a SSRT call-out. A comparison between what was happening at the command post to what transpired on scene will be made. Body cam will be used to show how well Sgt. Heimann was leading his men prior to being shot. Images of Sgt. Heimann's silhouette from the suspect's thermal scope will be shown. Officers' and command's actions in the aftermath, positive and negative, will be discussed. Note: The video of the murder will NOT be shown.

Key Takeaways:

Value of 4Cs in transferring a scene from patrol to SWAT. Expect the unexpected when an officer goes down. Learn the capabilities and limitations of thermal scopes. The importance of support teams, command meetings, reliable communication, drones, armor, TEMS, etc.