RRSpin - Shots echo from within school during drill

Friday, 17 August 2018 14:06

Shots echo from within school during drill

Written by Lance Martin

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Officers go upstairs during the drill. rrspin.com

The main sounds around Manning Elementary School this morning were of passing cars and construction.

Then five shots shots could be heard from inside the school as part of an active shooter drill by the Roanoke Rapids Police Department.

There was a declaration of lockdown heard over the PA system and then came the cops — dashing across the lawn of the campus with weapons drawn to make themselves ready for entry into the school and put their training to use.

In the end two mock suspects were taken into custody — one an upset parent and the other a disgruntled employee.

There were three mock victims declared dead and 11 injured, Chief Chuck Hasty said.

“It was a good drill with all the entities involved,” Hasty said.

In the real world the suspects would face three counts of murder and 11 counts of attempted murder.

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Hasty was pleased with the response and cooperation of the agencies which participated — the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office, Weldon Police Department and the state Department of Public Safety. The city’s planning and public works departments assisted at the staging area.

“There’s a few little things we need to tweak,” he said, declining to elaborate due to the sensitive nature of tactics used and possible security risks.

Captain Andy Bryant, who helped coordinate the drill, said, “It was successful. Any training session where responders learn additional skills and no one was injured is a successful event.”

Hasty allowed access into the school as officers continued searches of classrooms and fire and EMS tended to the mock wounded.

Most of those playing the role of victims declined to comment outside the school.

Katie Morgan, who works at Chaloner Middle School, played one of the injured.

She said the drill bolsters her belief properly trained school personnel should be able to carry a weapon. “It would give me a fighting chance and let me protect my babies.”

Morgan was one of the victims in a second location of the school where a shooting occurred. “With increased concerns, I feel like it’s one thing to implement to possibly help.”

School system spokesman Les Atkins said in an actual emergency children would be taken off campus to be reunited with their parents. “It becomes a law enforcement scene. They would make sure the children are safe.”

The school system would use its automated system to let parents or guardians know where the students were moved. “I think it was a good drill. Drills like this can do nothing but help everyone involved be more prepared.”

The school system also has translators in place for its English as a second language students. “The school has mental health providers to talk to parents and students,” Atkins said.

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