[Update on Austin Downtown Shooting on March 2, 2026.]
[00:00:04]
WE APPRECIATE YOUR, YOUR, UM, ATTENTION TO THIS AND, AND, AND THE THE TIME.
UH, I WANNA START OFF BY SAYING JUST A COUPLE THINGS.
ONE IS I WANT TO, UH, AGAIN, SAY HOW PROUD WE ARE AND I AM OF OUR POLICE FIRE AND EMS. OUR PUBLIC SAFETY PROFESSIONALS DID A TREMENDOUS JOB, UH, A JOB WHERE THEY WERE MOVING QUICKLY AND BRAVELY TO MAKE SURE THAT LIVES WERE SAVED.
UH, THERE WERE LOTS OF ACTS OF HEROISM ON SUNDAY MORNING.
I ALSO WANNA SAY A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO THE VICTIM SERVICES OF THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR THE ROLE THAT THEY'RE PLAYING.
UH, THEY ARE DOING, UH, THEIR TYPICAL OUTSTANDING JOB.
I, I THANK OUR FEDERAL PARTNERS ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN, UH, ALL OF THEM.
I WANT TO, UH, REITERATE, UH, OUR APPRECIATION OF THEIR PROFESSIONAL WORK.
AND OF COURSE, THIS INVESTIGATION IS STILL ONGOING, BUT WE DEEPLY APPRECIATE THEIR BEING INVOLVED.
I KNOW THAT THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN, TEXAS CONTINUE TO HOLD THE VICTIMS OF THIS HORRIBLE TRAGEDY IN THEIR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS.
AND THEN THAT LEADS ME TO ALSO WANTING TO SAY A SPECIAL THANKS TO THE HEALTHCARE WORKERS THAT HAVE PLAYED SUCH AN IMPORTANT AND PROMINENT ROLE IN, IN ADDRESSING THE NEEDS OF, OF AUSTINITES.
UH, AFTER THIS TRAGEDY, UH, I'LL HAVE A FEW MORE THINGS TO SAY, BUT I WANT TO BRING UP OUR CHIEF OF POLICE WHO, UH, AGAIN, I, I DEEPLY APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT, THAT SHE HAS DONE AND THE WAY SHE HAS HANDLED THIS MATTER.
AND SO, CHIEF DAVIS, THANK YOU, MAYOR.
THE LAST 35 4 HOURS HAVE BEEN SOME OF THE MOST CHALLENGING IN MY CAREER.
THIS HAS BEEN DIFFICULT FOR OUR COMMUNITY, DEVASTATING TO THE IMPACTED FAMILIES, AND CHALLENGING TO OUR A PD FAMILY.
I WANNA THANK OUR FEDERAL PARTNERS SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, AND THE EVIDENCE RESPONSE TEAM WITH THE F-P-I-A-P-D CANNOT DO THIS ALONE.
WE ARE STILL IN THE EARLY HOURS OF THIS INVESTIGATION.
THIS IS A COMPLICATED AND LARGE CRIME SCENE.
OUR PRIORITY IS FINDING ANSWERS AND THE MOTIVES BEHIND THIS CRIME.
I WANNA THANK EVERYONE THAT HAS SUPPORTED OUR COMMUNITIES AND THIS RESPONSE.
FAMILIES WILL NEED THIS IN THE DAYS AHEAD.
I ALSO WANNA THANK VICTIM SERVICES THAT HAVE COME IN ADDITION TO APDS VICTIM SERVICES, THAT INCLUDES FBI, THE TRAVIS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY, AND MULTIPLE CALLS OF PEOPLE WANTING TO HELP.
I CANNOT IMAGINE THE GRIEF, PAIN, AND LOSS THESE FAMILIES ARE FEELING TODAY.
SAVITA SEAN AND RIDER HARRINGTON TO THE IMPACTED FAMILIES THAT ARE STILL WAITING FOR ANSWERS.
A FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER IS BEING STOOD UP AS WE KNOW NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY THIS, AND WE ARE DAILY, HOURLY GETTING CALLS OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN VICTIMIZED BY THIS.
THE DEPARTMENT WILL BE RELEASING INFORMATION SOON ON WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
WHEN I ARRIVED ON THE SCENE, AGAIN, IT WAS COMPLEX AND VERY LARGE.
THE WORK BEING DONE BY THE AUSTIN FIRE DEPARTMENT, THE TRAVIS COUNTY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICE AND A PD WAS QUITE IMPRESSIVE.
ONCE THE INITIAL SCENE WAS SECURED, WE REACHED OUT TO OUR FEDERAL PARTNERS TO ASSIST IN THIS RESOURCE INTENSIVE SCENE AND TO ADDRESS CONCERNS OF POTENTIAL TERRORISM.
WE ARE WORKING IN TANDEM WITH THE FBI CONDUCTING NUMEROUS INTERVIEWS AND GATHERING EVIDENCE.
IF YOU CAN IMAGINE, WE HAVE OVER 150 WITNESSES TO THIS EVENT THAT WE ARE, ARE WORKING WITH THE FBI.
AND WE ARE ALSO INVESTIGATING AN OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING, AS I HAVE COMMITTED IN THE PAST IN ANY OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING.
WE WILL BE RELEASING INFO AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE LATER THIS WEEK, POTENTIALLY THURSDAY, WE'LL BE RELEASING BODY-WORN CAMERA OF THIS EVENT, AS WELL AS INFORMATION ON THE SUSPECT AND COLLUDING CRIMINAL HISTORY.
AGAIN, WE ARE MAKING, AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE ARE MAKING TREMENDOUS SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS IN THIS CASE, BUT IT WILL TAKE TIME.
IN CLOSING, I WANNA TAKE A, AGAIN, A A MINUTE, UH, AS THE MAYOR, ECHO THE MAYOR AND TALK ABOUT JUST THE FANTASTIC WORK THAT THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, UH, WITH THE, UM, TRAVIS COUNTY EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES, UM, DID HERE.
MULTIPLE LIVES WERE SAVED, YOU KNOW, IN TEXAS, WE ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE THE ADVANCED LAW ENFORCEMENT RAPID RESPONSE TRAINING, UM, CENTER, AND THAT'S THE ALERT CENTER THROUGH TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY.
AND THAT TRAINING, THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT THAT IN THAT COORDINATED RESPONSE WITH EMS SAVED LIVES THIS NIGHT.
I ALSO WANNA POINT OUT THAT, UM, WE'RE JOINED TODAY BY OUR CITY MANAGER,
[00:05:01]
UH, TC BROAD ACTS, AND A COUNCIL MEMBER WHO REPRESENTS, UH, THE DOWNTOWN AREA ZOE CADRE.BEFORE WE TAKE YOUR QUESTIONS, I WANNA SAY THAT WE RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS A VERY TRAUMATIC MOMENT IN OUR CITY.
UH, BUT WHEN I TALK ABOUT BEING PROUD OF A PD AND FIRE AND EMS, I WANNA ALSO SAY HOW PROUD I AM IN HOW THE PEOPLE THAT ARE THIS CITY HAVE REACTED WITH SUCH GREAT COMPASSION.
WE ARE ALL MOURNING TOGETHER AND GRIEVING AS A GROUP, BUT WE'RE SEEING TREMENDOUS COMPASSION AND LOVE COMING OUTTA THE PEOPLE OF AUSTIN.
AND SO I URGE EVERYONE AT THIS MOMENT OF TRAUMA TO REACH OUT TO EACH OTHER AND TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER, UH, AND TAKE CARE OF OUR HOME, BE WITH EACH OTHER.
WHILE THIS IS A DARK MOMENT, OUR PEOPLE ARE CREATING A, A LOT OF LIGHT IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, AND WHAT WE DO FOR EACH OTHER MATTERS.
SO NOW WE WE'RE HAPPY TO, UH, IF THERE'S A FEW QUESTIONS TO, TO TAKE A FEW QUESTIONS.
WE CAN START OVER HERE AND THEN WE'LL GO HERE.
UM, HAS THIS IMPACTED ANY PLANS, SECURITY PLANS FOR SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST? UH, IT HAS NOT.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE A PRESS CONFERENCE, I BELIEVE NEXT, UH, THURSDAY FOR OUR SPRING FESTIVAL SEASON.
AND CERTAINLY AS WE LOOK AT, UM, AUSTIN AND WHAT MAKES AUSTIN SO GREAT, ARE THOSE EVENTS.
UM, WE ARE A MAJOR CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT, AND WE GO IN BEST PRACTICES.
I FEEL CONFIDENT THAT, UH, THE RESOURCES WE HAVE IN, UH, PLAY, UH, SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST WILL CONTINUE ON AND IT WILL BE A SAFE FESTIVAL SEASON.
DO WE KNOW HOW THE SUSPECT ACQUIRED THESE GUNS AND WHETHER THEY WERE REQUIRED LEGALLY? UH, THE, THE GUNS WERE REQUIRED LEGALLY, I BELIEVE IN 2017 OUT OF SAN ANTONIO.
THEY WERE, THEY WERE PURCHASED.
CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE VICTIMS? I THINK YOU SAID AVITA, SEAN AND RYDER HARRISON.
CAN YOU TELL US MORE? ARE THEY UT STUDENTS? I, I THINK RYDER, UH, WAS A TEXAS TECH STUDENT.
THEY, THEY, UM, AS FAR AS WHAT, WHAT SCHOOL THEY WENT TO, UM, THAT IS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WE CAN LOOK INTO, BUT THEY WERE YOUNG, I BELIEVE.
UH, RYDER WAS MAYBE 22 AND AVITA, UM, 24 OR 20 RESPECTIVELY.
ARE YOU ABLE TO SHARE ANY DETAILS ABOUT THE WARRANTS THAT WERE EXECUTED YESTERDAY IN DEL VALLEY AND IN VILLE? SO ANYTIME THAT YOU'RE DOING AN INVESTIGATION LIKE THIS, IT'S GONNA LEAD TO, TO SEARCH WARRANTS.
AND SO THOSE WARRANTS WERE, UH, BASED OFF INFORMATION OF WHAT, WHERE THIS PERSON LIVED, UM, ADDRESSES WHERE HE, UH, CONGREGATED.
UM, AND, AND EVIDENCE WAS TAKEN FROM THAT.
THERE'S A VIDEO CIRCULATING ON SOCIAL MEDIA OF AN AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE BLOCKING ON EMERGENCY SERVICES.
CAN YOU GUYS TALK TO ABOUT THE SITUATION, WHAT YOU ENCOUNTERED AND HOW YOU, YOU KNOW, AS YOU WERE ACCESSING THE SCENE AND TRANSPORTING VICTIMS? YEAH, I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF, UM, ROB, IF YOU WANTED TO ADDRESS IT.
SO WE ROB LUCR, CHIEF OF AUSTIN, TRAVIS COUNTY, EMS, UM, EMS, AS WELL AS OUR FELLOW PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERS WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE AUTONOMOUS VEHICLE VENDORS THAT OPERATE HERE IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
WE HAD MORE THAN 20 ASSETS, UH, RESOURCES THAT RESPONDED TO THIS EVENT.
UM, AS WAS SAID, AT AN EARLIER PRESS CONFERENCE, WE WERE ON SCENE WITHIN 57 SECONDS.
AND SO IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THE IMPACT ON THE OVERALL INCIDENT, UM, WE DON'T BELIEVE IT HAD ANY IMPACT ON PATIENT OUTCOMES.
UM, I WILL SAY THAT WE'RE ALREADY IN TOUCH WITH WAYMO AND, AND THE AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES TO, UH, YEAH, TO, TO GIVE THEM OUR CONCERNS AND WORK WITH THEM IN ORDER TO TRY TO ADDRESS, UH, THIS MOVING FORWARD.
IF YOU GUYS COULD RAISE YOUR HANDS, PLEASE.
AND, UH, FOR THE CHIEF AND FOR AGENT DURAN, CAN YOU, UH, EXPLAIN WHAT MORE YOU'VE LEARNED ABOUT THE POSSIBLE MOTIVE? AND I THINK IT WAS REPORTED THAT THE SUSPECT HAD A, A SHIRT UNDERNEATH THE SWEATSHIRT THAT SHOWED AN IRANIAN FLAG.
IS THERE A DIRECT CONNECTION TO THE WARRANT IRAN, UH, WITH THIS SHOOTING HERE? SO I THINK FOR OUR PURPOSES, YOU KNOW, AS, AS WE'RE, UM, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT THE TOTALITY OF THIS AND CERTAINLY, UM, AS A POLICE CHIEF, AND WE'RE COMING IN AND WE'RE GETTING THIS INFORMATION AND WE SEE THOSE INDICATORS.
WE SEE A, YOU KNOW, THE, THAT THE SECOND SHIRT WITH THE IRAN AND THE PICTURE OF THE SHAW ON THAT, UM, T-SHIRT AS WELL.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE THINKING ABOUT, UH, EVENTS AND WHAT'S OCCURRING IN THE, IN THE COUNTRY AS WELL.
AND SO IN ADDITION TO THE FACT THAT THIS WAS A HUGE, UM, COMPLEX SCENE, WE'RE, WE'RE CALLING IN THOSE FEDERAL PARTNERS, UH, TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT AS WELL.
AND SO AGAIN, THOSE, THE MOTIVES, ALL OF THOSE THINGS, THAT'S WHAT THIS INVESTIGATION IS, IS ABOUT RIGHT NOW.
UM, SO I'LL, I'LL, I'LL ADD ON THAT, BUT FIRST I JUST WANT TO, UM, ALSO EXPRESS, UM, UM, OUR REGARDS TO THE VICTIMS, THE VICTIM'S FAMILIES, UM, THOSE IMPACTED BY THIS, THIS TRAGIC EVENT.
UM, IT'S NOT JUST THOSE THAT WERE, WERE INJURED OR KILLED, BUT OBVIOUSLY THOSE THAT WITNESSED IT ARE GONNA BE FOREVER IMPACTED.
AND SO, UM, JUST LET THEM KNOW WE STAND WITH YOU, UM, AND WE ARE, OUR THOUGHTS ARE WITH YOU.
UM, WITH REGARDS TO THE QUESTION, UM,
[00:10:02]
YES, WE, UM, LIKE THE, OUR ULTIMATE GOAL AND EVERYTHING WE DO IS TO DETERMINE THE MOTIVE, RIGHT? WE'RE LOOKING FOR CONNECTIONS THAT HE POSSIBLY HAD WITNESSES, AS THE CHIEF HAD MENTIONED, WE ARE POURING THROUGH THOUSANDS OF HOURS OF VIDEO.UM, WE ARE, HAVE MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF BOTH DIGITAL AND PHYSICAL EVIDENCE.
AND THIS IS A AROUND THE CLOCK, 24 HOUR INVESTIGATION AT THIS POINT.
AND ANY, UM, DECLARATIONS ON WHAT LED TO THAT MOTIVE WOULD BE PREMATURE, RIGHT? WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE OUR FACTS 100% CORRECT, OR AS IS CLOSE TO, OR AT LEAST WE'VE TRACKED DOWN EVERY POSSIBLE LEAD THAT WE CAN BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE OWED TO THE VICTIMS, RIGHT? THAT'S WHAT YOU GUYS WANT ANSWERS FOR.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE OWE THAT TO THE VICTIMS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO BE RIGHT.
SO WE DON'T WANT TO SPECULATE OR MAKE ANY GUESSES AT THIS STAGE OF THE INVESTIGATION AS TO WHAT THAT MOTIVE ULTIMATELY WAS.
GO JAMAL, TO MAYBE PIGGYBACK OFF OF THAT, UH, ARE YOU ALL LOOKING INTO ANYONE ELSE THAT MAYBE CONNECTED WITH THE SUSPECT AT THIS TIME THAT YOU KNOW OF? OR IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT THE SUSPECT YOU CAN SHARE TOO? AGAIN, WE WILL HAVE SOME CRIMINAL HISTORY, SOME BACKGROUND, THAT TYPE OF THING ON THURSDAY WHEN WE ADDRESS THE, UM, OFFICER INVOLVED SHOOTING.
UM, BUT AS FAR AS ANYONE ELSE, THAT'S, THAT'S ALL PART OF WHAT THAT INVESTIGATION IS.
GIVEN SOME OF HIS INTERACTIONS WITH YOUR AGENCY PREVIOUSLY, SOME OF THE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS ATTRIBUTED TO HIM, HAD YOUR AGENCY OR ANY AGENCY IDENTIFIED HIM AS A POTENTIAL CONCERN OR A THREAT BEFORE THIS? WE HAVE NOT AT, AT THE AUSTIN POLICE DEPARTMENT, NO.
HE WAS NOT PREVIOUSLY ON OUR RADAR.
UM, AGENT DURAN, I HAD A QUESTION FOR YOU YESTERDAY.
YOU MENTIONED THAT, UM, THERE WAS THIS POTENTIAL NEXUS TO TERRORISM THAT WAS BEING INVESTIGATED.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT THAT MEANS IN REGULAR WORDS AND ALSO WHAT THOSE, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT THAT? SO ANY ACT OF TARGETED VIOLENCE, WHICH IS WHAT THIS WAS, WE'RE GONNA PURSUE ALL INVESTIGATIVE LINES, RIGHT? AND THAT IS CERTAINLY ONE OF THEM, ALONG WITH MULTIPLE OTHER AVENUES OF WHERE THIS COULD GO, RIGHT? UM, THAT'S ALWAYS VERY DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE WHAT'S IN AN INDIVIDUAL'S MIND THAT LEADS THEM TO COMMIT THIS TYPE OF VIOLENCE.
UM, AND SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO, LIKE I SAID, POUR THROUGH, POUR THROUGH THE EVIDENCE, UM, TALK TO WITNESSES, TALKED TO FRIENDS, TALKED TO ASSOCIATES THAT KNEW THIS PERSON, OBVIOUSLY TRACKING MOVEMENT LEADING UP TO AND ON THE NIGHT OF THE EVENT.
AND ALSO GOING BACK AS FAR BACK AS WE CAN TRACE 'EM.
THAT'S WHAT THE FBI DOES, AND WE'RE DOING THAT IN LOCKSTEP WITH OUR PARTNERS, AND WE WILL CONTINUE TO DO THAT, UH, UNTIL WE GET THAT ANSWER, DETERMINE WHAT, WHAT THAT ULTIMATE MOTIVATION WAS.
WE'LL TAKE TWO OR THREE MORE QUESTIONS.
WE'RE GONNA START IN THE BACK HERE, AND THEN WE'LL GO TO ANGELA AND END ANTE.
THANK YOU FOR EITHER THE CHIEF OR SPECIAL AGENT.
DURAN, HOW CLOSELY ARE YOU WORKING WITH OTHER MAJOR CITIES LIKE THE NYPD, THE LAPD? WE KNOW NEW YORK PUT OUT A STATEMENT SAYING THAT THEY SAW WHAT HAPPENED IN AUSTIN AND THEY'RE TAKING IT SERIOUSLY AND IT HAS PUT THEM ON HIGH ALERT.
ARE YOU TALKING TO OTHER CITIES? CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT? YEAH, I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, BEING PART OF THE MAJOR CITY CHIEFS ASSOCIATION, THOSE ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, IN CONTACT WITH ALL OF THOSE CHIEFS AND WHAT'S GOING ON, AND EVERYBODY BETTER BE ON HEIGHTENED ALERT.
I MEAN, THIS IS, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENS ACROSS THE COUNTRY WE ALL NEED TO BE AWARE OF.
AND CERTAINLY AS MAJOR CITIES, YOU LOOK AT BEST PRACTICES AND YOU LOOK AT THE WAY YOU KEEP PEOPLE SAFE, THAT'S ABSOLUTELY IMPORTANT.
AND THERE'S PROBABLY NOT A, A POLICE CHIEF ACROSS THIS COUNTRY THAT'S NOT TALKING TO ONE TO SOMEONE.
ANGELA AND DANTE, YOU'LL HAVE A FINAL QUESTION.
UM, SO YESTERDAY, THREE PATIENTS WERE IN CRITICAL CONDITION.
HAS THERE BEEN ANY STATUS UPDATES ON THE HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS? I BELIEVE ONE PATIENT, UM, WILL BE TAKEN OFF LIFE SUPPORT, UM, SOMETIME TODAY.
UM, AND THEN TWO OTHER PATIENTS ARE STILL CRITICAL.
CAN YOU CLARIFY THE VICTIM'S NAMES AND AGE, PLEASE? THE VICTIMS THAT WERE, UM, KILLED? YES.
COULD YOU SPELL THAT OUT PLEASE? S-A-V-I-T-H-A-S-H-A-N.
AND RYDER, R-Y-D-E-R HARRINGTON, H-A-R-R-I-N-G-T-O-N, I BELIEVE HE'S 22.
I'M CURIOUS IF YOU THINK THAT AUSTIN'S RECENT SAVE SIX THREE SHIFT AND THINGS LIKE THAT, UM, CONTRIBUTED TO
UH, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE, UH, AGAIN, I TALKED ABOUT, UM, THE ALERT CENTER AND, AND OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH TEXAS STATE AND WHAT THAT DOES, AND I MADE A NOTE TO MYSELF BECAUSE IT IS, UM, WE HAVE CAST, WHICH IS OUR, UM, OUR COUNTER ASSAULT STRIKE TEAM CAST, AND THAT INCLUDES EMS, IT INCLUDES A FD AND UM, A PD.
AND THEY SET IN THIS VERY ROOM EVERY FRIDAY, SATURDAY, AND SUNDAY NIGHT TO ADDRESS, UM, POTENTIAL THREAT CONCERNS FROM OUR ENTERTAINMENT AREAS.
AND SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO BE PREPARED FOR WHEN YOU HAVE LARGE EVENTS, LARGE SCALE EVENTS, AND WE DO THIS IN OUR OTHER, UM, LARGE SCALE EVENTS AS WELL.
WHEN YOU'RE TALKING SOUTH BY, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT OTHER THINGS THAT WHERE THERE ARE LARGE, UH, CROWDS, WE ARE THERE AND PREPARED.
GUYS, IF I MIGHT ADD ONE THING TO THAT, UM, IN 2024, AND, AND CHIEF LUT AND I TALKED
[00:15:01]
ABOUT THIS YESTERDAY, I GUESS IT WAS, UH, IN 2024, THE CITY OF AUSTIN ALSO CREATED THE DOWNTOWN AREA COMMAND, UH, WITH EMS SO THAT WE WOULD BE BETTER READY.THAT'S WHAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS COMING FROM.
THE PROFESSIONALS IN EMS SAID THEY WANTED AND NEEDED THAT SORT OF THING, SO WE WOULD BE BETTER READY.
UM, YOU KNOW, GOD FORBID THERE WAS A SITUATION LIKE THIS AND, AND WE THINK THAT ALSO PLAYED A, A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN ADDITION TO WHAT THE CHIEF WAS SAYING.