Learning How to Survive a Shooter on Campus

Posted by Ross Arrowsmith on Wednesday, August 27th 2008 under Workplace violence

By Lisa Cisneros, The University of California, San Francisco

Lessons at UCSF don’t typically teach students how to take down a suspect, but these are not typical times.

UCSF Police Chief Pam Roskowski invited officers from UC Davis Police Department to give faculty, staff, students and trainees a basic lesson on how to survive the unfortunate and oftentimes fatal experience of an active shooter on campus.

The campus community has another opportunity to learn about strategies for survival tomorrow, Aug. 27, when UCSF Police Sgt. Reggie Hamilton will present a lecture from noon to 1 p.m. in the School of Nursing building, room N 225 on the Parnassus campus.

UC Davis Police developed the program in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech tragedy after a review of the incident and evaluation of its own readiness and ability to respond to a shooter. Not only did UC Davis Police find that their own ranks needed to be better trained, they realized the campus community needed to be armed with the knowledge of how to survive. Since the training began, UC Davis officers have conducted nearly 100 sessions.

UC Davis Police also were trained in best practices in responding to these incidents and purchased equipment, including shields to protect themselves from bullets.

Even though UC Davis Police officers have been trained to quickly respond to the nightmare scenario of someone openly firing on campus, they spoke frankly with the audience gathered at UCSF recently.

“You will be there faster than we will be there.”

During the Virginia Tech tragedy, for example, police arrived on the scene just nine minutes after receiving the call. The police were stalled temporarily after the suspects chain locked the doors. While nine minutes seems to be a fast response, the amount of rounds that can be fired during that timeframe can cause massive deaths and injuries.

UC Davis Police Capt. Matt Carmichael, a 23-year veteran of law enforcement and police officer of the year in Pinole, gave the audience common sense tips to prepare themselves and to save their lives.

Common Characteristics
Carmichael also dispelled the myths or misperceptions of the personal characteristics of an active shooter. The majority of shooters are men, but there is no one profile that applies to assassins, he explained. Red flag warnings do exist, however, including those who shoot openly in a public place often feel bullied, persecuted or injured in some way prior to the attack. Most attackers also have some history of suicidal feelings and attempts, Carmichael said.

Often, he noted, shooters have no prior history of violent criminal behavior. And rather than spontaneous episodes of insanity, most attacks have been well planned and thought out. In fact, prior to the attack, shooters usually tell or hint to someone that they plan to act violently.

“When you hear someone say something,” report it, Carmichael said.

“Most attacks were stopped by means other than law enforcement intervention,” he added. “Get training in first aid. Be prepared to help others.”

Of the campus shootings at universities, alarmingly those implicated in the attacks have been graduate students.

Survival Strategies
Those who stay calm and focused amid the noise, panic and confusion that ensues when an active shooter starts a rampage, have the best chances of living to see another day, Carmichael said.

The basic strategies for survival are as follows:
1. Escape!

2. Take cover. Get behind something that will stop a bullet and look for chances to escape, such as when the shooter is reloading his weapon.

3. Hide. Then look for a chance to escape.

4. Play dead and then look for a chance to escape.

5. Attack the attacker as a last resort. Best to catch him by surprise or striking a blow from behind.

Lessons learned in the wake of the massacre at Littleton, CO at Columbine High School have helped police and school officials across the nation know how to better respond to killers on the loose. For instance, when word of a shooter starts to spread across the campus, students should not take cover under desks or tables, like they would in an earthquake, Carmichael explained. In this position, they become sitting ducks and are likely doomed when the shooter reaches their room.

Instead, Carmichael advised, people should plan and think in advance three ways to escape a shooting should one occur in their environment — whether it be their workplace, a classroom, auditorium or eatery. When taking a seat in a classroom, for example, it is best to sit away from the door toward the back of the room. When in a restaurant or conference room, do the same and be sure to face the door to notice whom is approaching.

When a person does begin shooting indiscriminately, people should remember that escaping the scene is the best possible way to avoid death. If escape is impossible, take cover, hide or play dead.

Choose the hiding places, carefully. Hiding behind a wall made of sheet rock will not guard against bullets, he said. And if hiding in a closet, storeroom or elsewhere, remember to turn the cell phone to vibrate as to not alert the shooter to the hiding spot.

If possible, barricade the door by dragging heavy furniture against it. When on the first floor, consider jumping out a window. If someone near you has been shot to death, try dragging the body over yourself.

As a last resort, people can try to overpower the shooter. This can be difficult since some people can experience what’s called “tunnel vision,” when they see nothing but the end of a gun and freeze in fear.

When within one or two feet from a shooter, people can try to take away the gun. If successful, the person must be willing to use the gun since shooters often carry multiple weapons, Carmichael said.

The key is to “remove his will to fight” by using a number of defense maneuvers, like poking his eyes or striking him from behind with a heavy object like a fire extinguisher.

In the event that a potential victim is able to take the gun away and shoot the suspect, it is critically important that he or she not run out of the building holding the gun in jubilation. Police may confuse such a hero with the shooter. Instead, toss the gun in a garbage can and tell police where to find it.

Once a person has escaped the scene and is safe, he or she should follow police direction and should provide as much information as possible about the suspect to police.

“I hope you go take a self-defense class,” said Carmichael. “Trust your instincts.”