WEST BLOOMFIELD, Mich. – A 23-year veteran law enforcement officer, with 17 of those with the West Bloomfield Police Department, is speaking out about the terrifying moments when she ran toward danger during the attack on Temple Israel.
Officer Zena Dailey said the active shooter response training she completed just a month earlier guided her actions as chaos unfolded.
When the attack began, Dailey was across the street at Shenandoah Country Club when the call came over her radio.
“We get in the car, drive right across the street -- and we are right there -- seeing people run across the back parking lot over the berm,” Dailey said.
What she encountered was panic -- people running, smoke rising, and the sound of gunfire.
“The only thought in my mind is ‘I have to get to where the shots are coming from,’” she said at the West Bloomfield Police station on Tuesday afternoon. “Our training is you get your shots fired, you run towards that to stop that threat.”
That training had taken place about a month earlier.
“We have to stop this threat right here and right now -- and that’s the only thought going through my mind,” Dailey said.
Dailey and her lieutenant were the first police officers on scene and were quickly let into the building by Temple Israel security guards.
Inside, she saw a truck lodged between walls, with smoke and chaos throughout the building. She later learned the security guards had engaged in a shootout with the suspect, who ultimately shot and killed himself.
“They were literally the first to deal with it -- and I think without them this could have gone differently,” Dailey said.
In the days since the attack, Dailey said what stands out most is not what happened -- but what didn’t.
“I feel fortunate. I feel grateful that every staff member and every child that was there was able to go home safe and uninjured,” she said.
About 103 children and nearly 50 staff members were inside Temple Israel during the attack. All were accounted for and not physically harmed.
Dailey also serves on the department’s peer support team. After the attack, her team reached out to those involved -- not just officers on scene -- to identify anyone who may need help.
She said a key part of her role is working to remove the stigma around asking for help.