Law enforcement officials take part in 'shooter' training
WAKE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) -- On Friday morning, many people may have been concerned when they saw a huge police presence outside Ligon GT Magnet Middle School in Raleigh.
However, deputies, police, fire and rescue personnel were there as part of an "Active Shooter Training Exercise" put together by the Wake County Sheriff's Office. School officials were also on hand to take part in the exercise.
As part of the training, a call went out to authorities that there were two gunmen inside the middle school.
Officers began arriving at the scene and started entering the building with guns drawn. They were quickly joined by sheriff's deputies, firefighters and EMS crews.
As information continued to come in, so did word of injuries and possible casualties.
"We have an officer down, repeat, officer down," echoed over the police radio at one point.
Next, dispatch relayed the message that both shooters had been taken out, and then EMS crews were sent in to tend to the wounded, who they later brought out to ambulances that were standing by.
The entire scene was made to be as realistic as possible to help prepare the coordinating agencies in the event something like this should ever happen in our area.
"In a real life scenario with gunfire and people screaming and hollering it will be entirely different, but it gives us the feel of what we need to be doing because we block all that out," Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said. "We are on a mission and we know what our job is to get the people out and to stop the shooter, mainly."
Overall, the sheriff said he was pleased with what he saw during the exercise. Harrison said they will go back and evaluate everything to see what, if anything, they need to improve upon.
