Four days after Saturday’s officer-involved shooting which killed a 17-year-old gunman at the Sangamon County Juvenile Detention Center, Springfield police chief Ken Scarlette (pictured) has only praise for his officers.

“The first priority in any active shooter scenario is to stop the threat,” Scarlette told reporters Tuesday. “Our officers are trained on that. Our officers did just that upon their arrival at the scene.”

The pair which arrived first to the report of an active shooter and hostage situation were a veteran officer and a new trainee. They had little time to put their game plan together.

“Within 22 seconds of arrival, the officer encountered the suspect as he was leaving the premise,” said Scarlette. “The first officer – the veteran officer – engaged the armed suspect.”

The after-action process includes not only a state police investigation of the officers’ actions, but also making sure the officers do not return to regular duty until they are ready.

“I’ve been chief for twenty months,” said Scarlette. “One thing that I have hammered home with my officers is holistic wellness: physical, emotional, spiritual, financial. When we peel back this uniform, we are a human spirit that deals with life’s perils just like everyone else.”