The Helen Vine Recovery Center Attack

The Department of Homeland Security defines an active shooter event as:

an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area; in most cases, active shooters use firearms and there is no pattern or method to their selection of victims.

When DHS and the FBI (and the Secret Service) compile their reports on active shooter events in any given year, they usually restrict the events they include to incidents where there were four or more victims. In this article, we’re going to examine an incident where there was one fatality and two injuries – but that’s all. It seems a shame to say “that’s all” when referring to an incident where three people were shot, but in today’s reality of active shooter events where have casualties that are counted in double digits, having only three seems almost fortuitous.

On Monday, November 5, 2018, in the early morning hours (about 1:30am) a 37-year-old transient named Davance Lamar Reed allegedly entered the Helen Vine Recovery Center and shot three victims; one of them fatally. The Sheriff’s office identified the two wounded as facility employees: Anthony Mansapit, age 32, and Brittney McCann, age 30. McCann had reportedly previously dated the suspect, Reed. After the event, McCann’s father stated that McCann was in the process of checking her “boyfriend,” Reed, into the Recovery Center for treatment when he pulled a gun and shot her and the other victims. McCann’s father further reported that his daughter had previously dealt with addiction issues, but that she had recovered and that she and Reed had a child together; a son who was seven years old at the time. Reed allegedly also shot Mr. Nathan Lamont Hill, age 52, who died at the scene.

Post incident investigation revealed that Reed had a long and extensive criminal history which involved drug and weapons charges. Reed was arrested after an unrelated fast chase in a neighboring county and held for trial. In September 2019, Reed was officially charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, domestic violence, vehicle theft, recklessly evading police and possession of a semi-automatic firearm by a felon.

This incident is a near perfect example of a potentially known threat, being managed as carefully as possible by his recovered girlfriend, but who spontaneously begins his attack, reportedly unprovoked. The alleged perpetrator has a long history of drug use and a history of violent crimes. The two make for a very nasty combination and kudos to his girlfriend for trying to get him help.

The setting seems unique as compared to other events. There is a surprise factor if such an attack occurs in a business office building, a mall, a school… Many of the perpetrators have a history of mental disorders, drug use or violent crimes – or some mix there of. But in this instance, the location is actually a recovery center where you would fully expect to find people with drug addiction issues, potential emotional control challenges, and a history of crimes related to their drug issues.

Such locations, while necessary and of great value to the recovery of those with addiction challenges, are also potential hot spots for events such as this. Where employers and managers in all of those other locations need to be alert for any warning signs and pay attention to warnings they get, managers in recovery centers have to be especially alert and at a much accelerated rate. Where a manager in another building might have a few days or weeks to pass along what they hear to law enforcement and take the time to prevent an attack, the manager in a recovery center might only have moments.

It's an unfortunate reality that violence can happen so fast and with no warning. It behooves us all to be as alert as possible to events as they unfold so appropriate action can be taken.