. >> in the chaos, nashville police officer jonathan frith rushed in. >> gaining information that the suspect was inside, immediately, proceeded into the theater to actively engage him. >> frith was the first to confront the suspect who had already grazed one man with his hatchet and used pepper spray with red dye on a woman and teenage girl. >> all i could see was the silhouette of a figure. i engaged that figure with one shot with my patrol rifle and immediately backed out and declared we had a barricaded suspect situation. >> the showdown ended when montano was killed by s.w.a.t. team members as he apparently tried to escape. the national association of theater owners is praising the quick response from nashville police. saying in a written statement, whether it is in churches, schools, malls, or other public places, people have a right to go about their lives in peace and safety. the safety of our guests and employees is and always will be our industry's highest priority. an industry and audiences on edge right now after two theater attacks in less than a month. >> investigators c

i ask officer frith did you hit him. he said, i don't know.hot center from that point i directed him into a hallway of cover. other officers into a hallway of cover. other officers were arriving, we didn't know if there were still folks in other theaters. so we took up positions to cover them, both sides of the hallway, tactically, cleared that made it safe. went into the theaters, two people had had come out and tried to get out. we held them in place. and then we pulled them out and took them under the cover of officers. when we had that secured, we held what we had and checked on an eta from our srt or s.w.a.t. team. when s.w.a.t. arrived they immediately came in with their patrol rifles and the decision was made to enter the theater. this theater is set up, i don't know if you have them on maps or have you. it's set up with doors that fate each other and open out. a brief plan was made to use a flashing when they entered that. when they opened that door, the flashing was deployed, the s.w.a.t. officers went in and got behind the right most

officer frith? >> good morning. theater. i was in close proximity with another officer and we immediately responded. myself and three other officers responded. we all arrived pretty much at the exact same time. at that point, i noticed there was two citizens that were possibly wounded immediately called for an ambulance and knowing that -- again, the information that he would be a suspect was still inside immediately proceeded into the theater to actively engage him. we were directed to the theater where he was at which was theater four. i directed two officers to hold security on that -- on those two doors, and myself and another officer went upstairs into the projection booth where we tried to clear the theater as we could. we were unable to identify any civilians or shooter at that point. at that point we went back down to the entrance of the theater and just by pure chance i went to the left and immediately upon entering the theater, i was engaged with what i perceived to be small arms fire from the small calibe

. >> reporter: two minutes after being alerted to the attack,na officer jonathan frith was onnf the scene and confronted montano. >> i got a job to do. i have to save lives. if i have to, i have to go in there and engage the target. >> reporter: the 29-year-old montano fired his pellet gun several times before he waser killed by swat officers as he ran from the theater. montano's mother reported him missing three days ago. denise pruett told police her son had been diagnosed withpa paranoid schizophrenia and as early as 2004 she reported her son was having thoughts of suicide as well as homicide. the visual of frightened moviegoers running from the theater wednesday has mothers like cina thomas rethinking movie nights with her kids. >> my family won't be going to the movies anymore. this has opened my eyes. there have been too many too close together. >> reporter: the attacker pepperto sprayed two women in the face, and the man who came to their aid was struck in the shoulder with a hatchet. but scott, in the end, despite all of that, no one was seriously hurt. i >> pelley: david, thank y

. >> reporter: officer jonathan frith confronted the attacker in the dark. he and other officers had come from a car accident just minutes away. >> i engaged that figure with one shot with my patrol rifle and immediately backed out >> reporter: we're also hearing the calls for help. >> and he pulled out like a hatchet and started attacking this family and then he pulled out a gun and we all ran out of the theater. >> reporter: police say that 29-year-old vincente david montano was carrying canisters of propane and lighter fluid to use as explosives. witnesses say he was also spraying pepper spray in people's faces and carrying what police now know was a fake gun. he wounded this man in the shoulder with the hatchet. >> i have no idea why this gentleman decided to attack us. >> reporter: a s.w.a.t. team forced montano outside, where he was killed by police gunfire. [ gun shots ] >> reporter: his own mother sounded an alarm three days ago, filing this missing person's report, telling police her son was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. he was institutiona

. >> the policeman, six-years veteran jonathan frith ran into the theater.residents like asina thomas are relieved the response was so quick. she was on her way back from the banks when they heard the shots. >> within a minute or two, it was covered. it was definitely very, very fast. >> reporter: called it luck serren dipity or a blessing two police officers were working a car crash right in front of the theater and we are able to race to the scenes. >> the officers stopped what they were doing and immediately ran to the theater. our response to the theater after the gunman or active shooter situation began was probably 60 to 90 seconds. >> all cars be advised, shots fired, officer involved. >> minutes later the s.w.a.t. team converged, donning gas masks when the suspect tried to escape. >> the gunman tried to go out through a rear door of this particular theater. when he did they were other officers waiting. >> montano was killed when police officers opened fired, preventing a potential tragedy. >> the shady-looking guy stood up with what looked like two b

officer jonathan frith briefly engaged in gunfire with vincente montano. an axe in the attack as well as an air soft pellet gun which was originally thought to be a real gun. officials are still searching for a motive, but say the suspect had a history of mental illness. explain what police are saying happened inside that movie theater including the suspect's first encounter with law enforcement. >> reporter: right, thomas. it was just before 1:15 yesterday afternoon. montano came to the theater behind me. he's armed with an air pistol and axe and pepper spray. it's like a fog of pepper spray in the theater. he hits a man, his wife, and teenage daughter. a young woman in the theater runs out for help. there just happens to be police officers out here in the parking lot. one of them, jonathan firth. he got back into the theater in 60 seconds to really confront and engage montano. montano backs out of the theater into a swarm of swat officers and they kill him right there in that theater. >> what do we know about his background? it seems -- maybe you can hel

officer jonathan frith shoots back but with real bullets. answers him by filling the auditorium with pepper spray as terrified people inside the theater run. the police force him out of the theater where a small army is now waiting and firing. he dies in a hail of gunfire. one of the theater's customers wounded in the shoulder by that hatchet says he's thankful no one else was seriously hurt. >> i would also like to thank all of the citizens who gathered around us, helped my daughter when we were pepper sprayed. that kind of gives me a little bit more faith in humanity again. >> reporter: police have yet to share a motive but underline this is the second attack at a movie theater this summer and they worry. >> this is maybe what we call the new normal, and we can't just shut down america. we carry on. >> reporter: police say this man had a history of mental health issues and given what happened in aurora and lafayette where people were killed they're thanking the police. george. >> they got there so fast. steve, thanks very much. >>> we'll m

. >> reporter: officer jonathan frith confronted the attacker in the dark.e with one shot from my patrol rifle and immediately backed out. >> reporter: we're also hearing the calls for help. >> he pulled out like a hatchet and started attacking this family, and then he pulled out a gun, and we all ran out of the theater. >> reporter: police say that 29-year-old vincente david montano was carrying canisters of propane and lighter fluid to use as explosives. witnesses also say he was spraying pepper spray in people's faces, carrying what police now say was a fake gun. he wounded this man in the shoulder with a hatchet. >> i have no idea why this gentleman decided to attack us. >> reporter: a s.w.a.t. team forced montano outside, where he was killed by police gunfire. his own mother sounded an alarm days ago, filing this missing person's report, telling police her son was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. he was institutionalized four times since 2004, the same year police arrested him for assault. montano was facing a lifelong struggle with mental illness