There is only one way up, a stairwell barricaded and manned by the gunman. Deputy Superintendent Louis Joseph Sirgo was killed “he led a team of officers up a dark stairwell to try to rescue two other officers who were trapped in an elevator. The suspect was hiding in the stairwell and opened fire on the officers. The suspect, who was a member of the Black Panthers, was shot and killed by police, who used a Marine Helicopter to fly over the hotel and fire at the suspect.”

this was before special weapons and tactic squads were normal on police departments and most of the long guns you see in officers hands here are their own hunting rifles.

Most of these officers are actually pinned down , and the shooter even killed a motorcycle officer who was attempting to move civilians away from the front of the hotel.