Much too often we hear of unsuspected events of violence in the world. Quite a few of these events involve what is termed as an Active Shooter. An Active Shooter as defined by law enforcement is “an individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a confined and populated area.”
When it comes to an active shooter situation, the goal should be to survive the first five minutes.
A recent presentation by Midwestern State University Police Chief, Patrick Coggins sited a 2014 report published by the FBI** in which there were 160 active shooter incidents between 2000 and 2013 resulting in 1,043 casualties.
**The study omitted gang or drug related criminal acts
The FBI was able to fully ascertain the duration the threat for 63 of the incidents.
- 44 of those events or 69% of them ended in five minutes or less.
- 23 events or 36% of them ended in two minutes or less.
The same ratios are thought to exist across the other unknown durations
Note the average frequency has increased 250% over the last 7 years of the study vs. the first 7 years!
An alarming 46% of these situations happen in commerce locations such as malls or retail businesses and an additional 24% take place in locations of learning; Pre-K thru College.
These events may never happen in “your workplace”…but remember all those places listed above were someone’s workplace!!
We all hope this unsettling safety topic would never affect us, but in light of recent event s, one of which closely affected one of our own family members, I think awareness is better than hopefulness.
Therefore, what do you do if in a mall, store, sporting event or other venue and find yourself confronted with an active shooter?
Chief Coggins shared three basic responses.
The first option should always be to RUN away from the shooter and put as much distance between you and that person. Do not stop to dial 911, once you have reached safety, then call for help.
If running is not an option, or there is not a safe escape route, the next best option is to secure yourself and others in place and HIDE. If possible, get behind cover and stay close to the floor.
As a last resort, be prepared to FIGHT with the goal of incapacitating the shooter. If this is your only and last option, you must commit fully. Physical aggression using improvised weapons to interrupt or disable the shooter has to be the final goal.
Coggins went on to say once law enforcement is on the scene, the environment will become quite chaotic with alarms and sirens, noises from police radios, officers carrying rifles and wearing ballistics protection, focused solely on eliminating the threat.
It is worth pointing out, that in light of more volatile events in recent years, law enforcement has changed from the past “secure and hold” response to a more “direct to threat” tactic… that means they are not there to just secure the scene…. they are there to find the threat and stop them!
With the increasing number of people in the state of Texas receiving Licenses to Carry (LTC), there was no real content on how LTC carriers should engage in an event. Coggins did advise that once law enforcement is on the scene, an LTC carrier should distance themselves from their weapon (set it down while still keeping it within their site) with their hands up, and always completely follow the specific directions given by the officer.
He added there is no easy answer as to how to tell law enforcement that you are a good guy, but following the directions given by the officer is the best way to let law enforcement know you have no ill intent.
The City of Houston’s Public Safety Office, under a grant from the Department of Homeland Security, produced the video below. Although the video depicts an office setting, the same could be applied to a mall or retail setting.
A full copy of the 2014 FBI report can be found at:
https://www.fbi.gov/file-repository/active-shooter-study-2000-2013-1-1.pdf/view