Sgt Carona’s police career spans 34 years, the last 31 with the Port Arthur Police Department.  He has been trained to educate police officers and civilians on what they can do to minimize the number of deaths when there is an active shooter or shooters (Columbine, San Bernardino).

 

One of the things that has been created by the media is that the “killers” become more known than the actual victims of the killings. It’s the victims who are important, and we are creating an atmosphere where the killers are the focus of information.

 

In these horrific situations, most of the events are started and ended within two minutes.  In two minutes, 600 rounds of ammunition can be fired.  The average police time arriving on the scene is three minutes so with this in mind it is important for the intended victims to know how to stop the killing or escape from the killing.  

 

A video was presented of one of the Columbine victims who was shot three times but survived.  She was in the classroom where in nine minutes nine students and a teacher were killed before the gunman turned the gun on himself at the front of the classroom.  She held her breath each time the killer passed her desk but still incurred injuries.  

 

People go through three phases when confronted with this situation: Denial, Deliberation and Decisive Moments.  In the Denial phase, people should trust their instincts when they hear something that is uncommon and not assume it is a truck backfiring.  Hiding and hoping doesn’t work for escaping the killer.  As a person’s cognitive processes start to slow down due to the stress, the intended victim should be aware of what is actually happening.  

 

In the Deliberation stage, the first thing to do is try to calm yourself so that you can help others.  Try breathing calmly first and then approach others.  Then consider your options of exiting from the area (avoid the idea that you have to go out the same way you came in.  Look over the exits that are available even if you have to break a window. CALL 911.

 

Second step in deliberation is to deny entry to the shooter. Turn off the lights, lock all doors and see if an escape route is viable. The last step is Defend yourself.  Think what you can do to position yourself to throw something at the shooter or harm the shooter.  Consider all possible “weapons” available wherever you are.  If someone has a concealed handgun license, a mindset of shoot to kill is needed.

 

FBI statistics show that active shooter events are rising every year with an average of 5 people killed, not counting the shooter.  The shooters have no unique profiles other than male but the prevailing mindset is to have the largest body count available. The police response time is 3 minutes but if the average time of the shootings is two minutes, they will be unable to defend the initial killings.  When the police do arrive, they do not know who is who and they need everyone to obey their commands.  EMS and fire personnel are not allowed to enter until the police have secured the area.   

 

Security costs money and speed in responding costs money.  What is the cost of doing something about this now versus later?  It’s a type of insurance cost.  We all should be aware and be prepared as best we can if confronted with an active shooter.  We need to change our thought processes about how we deal with these situations.