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Under Fire: Inside Armed Shooter Exercise At Area School

Gunfire and screams echoed through the hallways of Flomaton High School Wednesday afternoon. A gunman was on campus, holding hostages.

It was all part of a three-day active shooter training program involving multiple law enforcement agencies. And the idea was to make it as realistic as possible, even for the most seasoned of officers.

In one scenario, a single shooter held a hostage at gunpoint in classroom. Officers entered the scenario with no information, other than there was one or more active shooters and hostages somewhere in the building.

For a photo gallery, click here.

Gunfire sounded, and two hostages ran from a classroom into the hallway where the officers, if they reacted correctly, would not shoot them.

“I’m gonna kill you,” the gunman screamed at the hostage remaining in the classroom.

“Please don’t shoot me,” the hostage said, her hands in the air. “I don’t want to die.”

A single officer approached the classroom, his weapon drawn and loaded with 9 mm training rounds.  His eyes scanned the room, his gun following, as he noted our photographer in the corner of the room and confirmed he was not a target. In a real life situation, there could have been innocent children huddled in that corner.

The officer quickly identified the gunman, firing off two rounds into center mass. The officer confirmed the gunman was dead, removing her weapon away from the body. The hostage was safe, the situation seemingly diffused as another officer entered the room. But more gunfire and screams erupted down the hallway, sending the officers running.

The sights, the smell of gunfire, the screams, the realistic 9mm training rounds that strike at over 300 feet per second (which, as one trainer noted, “really hurt” without protective gear), and shell casings flying across the room were all designed for realism. And for adrenaline.

FIRST OF ITS KIND LOCAL TRAINING

This week’s active shooter training exercise is the first of its kind held in Escambia County, AL, and the first for most of the officers in attendance.

“You really can teach an old dog new tricks,” Flomaton Police Chief Stoney Daw, 72, said after the live fire training. “You can find your weak points and your strong points this way.”

The training, with instructors from the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training at Louisiana State University, was conducted at no cost to local law enforcement agencies. The LASER – Law Enforcement Active Shooter Emergency Response — training’s $35,000 price tab was covered by FEMA and Homeland Security.

“This was the first time we’ve had this type training locally,” Escambia County (AL) Chief Deputy Mike Lambert said. “This class was to train our local officers to go back to their agencies and train others. And this was a rare opportunity for our agencies to train together; that would be very important if we ever respond together to a real incident.”

Agencies taking part in the class included the Escambia County (AL) Sheriff’s Office, Atmore Police Department, Flomaton Police Department, Brewton Police Department, the Escambia County (AL) District Attorney’s Office and the Alabama Marine Police.

For a photo gallery, click here.

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EDUCATOR’S INSIGHT

Flomaton High School Principal Scott Hammond had the chance Wednesday afternoon to suit up in protective gear and become involved in the training scenarios.

“It provided insight on how students need to react and how they need to leave the building,” Hammond said.  “I’m very honored our school was used for the exercise. And I’m glad I got the see the other side of a shooter situation.”

Hammond said that despite seeing the realistic training, he still views himself as a first line of defense in the event his campus should ever experience an active shooter.

“Whether or not I am armed, I still think I would try to disarm someone coming in here with a gun,” he said. “These are my students, and I’m going to do everything I can  to protect them.”

For a photo gallery, click here.

Editor’s note: There were no students present during Wednesday’s exercise at Flomaton High School; the school has already dismissed for the summer.

NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.