MIAMI SHORES, Fla. – Barry University played host to active shooter drills Thursday, as Miami Shores police brushed up on best practices for responding to a mass shooting.
Students, faculty and police simulated the situation from start to finish, with police responding to the college’s main library, where the “shooting” took place. The drills began at 11 a.m. and went on through the evening hours.
“It’s our goal to get here within the first minute or 2 of receiving the call,” Miami Shores police Chief David Golt said. “Most lives are lost in the first few minutes, so as soon as our officers get there and get inside and confront the threat, the more lives will be saved.”
Students and faculty ran and hid as officers worked to neutralize the “shooter.”
“Even though this was a drill and we know this is a drill it’s really scary, so I can’t imagine what it would be like in real life,” Michelle Lozada, a Barry student who participated in the drill, said.
Barry University Vice President for University Administration Jennifer Boyd-Pugh called the drills “one step in our comprehensive emergency planning.”
A bit further north Thursday, Broward Sheriff’s Office deputies trained for an active shooter situation at Deerfield Beach High School.