Katy Police Chief Byron Woytek's handling of the Katy Mills gunfire incident deserves kudos and a big thank you.
When crisis comes, the right message from the right person at the right time is essential, and being transparent about what you know is just as important as being honest about what you don't know. Woytek accomplished all that on Monday night. The only thing that would have been better was if Mayor Dusty Thiele had been standing alongside the chief, assuring residents that he recently nominated Woytek to be chief because the 30-year veteran was the right guy for the job and had city hall's full support as he tracks down the criminals who lit up the mall with gunfire during the busiest shopping days of the year.
If Thiele was unable to attend the news conference, an emailed statement from him to the media could have accomplished the same objective. However, that did not happen, leading this reporter to wonder, in light of the Katy Market Days controversy, who at City Hall is advising the mayor and if they have his best interests in mind while doing so.
On Monday, when Katy residents learned that gunfire had erupted at the mall where their family members may have been Christmas shopping, they likely faced moments of pure terror and desperately needed to know if their loved ones were safe. While our leaders cannot undo the trauma of such an incident, they can give people confidence that the incident is being handled professionally. Woytek did that by providing clear answers to reporters’ questions in a timely fashion, and his demeanor conveyed that competent authorities were working to bring those responsible for this reckless and dangerous act to justice. That happened the following morning with two arrests being made.
My insights stem from more than three decades of breaking news experience as a journalist and another decade handling communications for several organizations, including one of the nation's largest school districts and one of America's largest public housing authorities. Both locations were places where gunfire and shootings were not unusual.
On Monday night, Woytek faced two immediate challenges. There was a shooting followed quickly by false reports that there was a victim. While there were many shaken people at the scene, no one had suffered physical injuries, and the chief effectively countered the spread of rumors by promptly sharing verified facts.
As a reporter, experience has taught me that the first reports during times of crisis are never entirely accurate, so how you word things and what information you provide during the breaking news phase of the story is very important. In this case, early reports that "police are responding to a shooting at the mall" somehow turned into "somebody was shot at the mall." It's a classic mistake for an inexperienced crime reporter who doesn't take a moment to breathe and digest what officials have confirmed. They then make an incorrect assumption that a shooting means someone has been shot.
During early coverage of the breaking news, Covering Katy avoided this problem by using the headline "Gunfire at Katy Mills" instead of "Shooting at Katy Mills." Both tell the story, but one suggests someone was hit, while the other states what we knew for sure.
Woytek may or may not have known about the inaccurate reports circulating online, but his actions allowed him to quickly take control of any circulating message. By establishing a designated media staging area, he accomplished three important things: He concentrated journalists in one location rather than leaving them scattered throughout the mall parking lot seeking impromptu interviews from unreliable sources; he gained control over the flow of information by promising a timely update; and he allowed TV stations time to prepare to carry his remarks live, which allowed for the fastest distribution of the facts.
When addressing the media, Woytek provided descriptions of both the shooter and accomplice. His presentation of the basic facts gave reporters the reliable information they needed to counter the swirling misinformation and post accurate stories. Throughout the briefing, he chose his words with precision, ensuring every statement met the highest standard of accuracy, while still giving media outlets enough substance for compelling coverage. And his demeanor demonstrated that residents could be confident that competent professionals were guiding the city's response.
Woytek demonstrated further media savvy by ending the news conference before it could drift into speculative questions that would have been unwise to address. He demonstrated the five Cs of crisis communications—Concern, Commitment, Competency, Clarity and Confidence—and when that was done, he had the good sense to end the briefing.
Chief Woytek's response built public trust that he’s the right guy to lead the Katy Police Dept. At a time when every second counts and rumors spread like wildfire, his straightforward approach didn't just inform the public—it strengthened the bond between the police department and the community it serves.