School shooter training at Raleigh middle school is first in over 1 year

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Law enforcement swarmed a Raleigh middle school on Tuesday, but it was all part of a training exercise.

A week after a 15-year-old student was shot and killed in Winston-Salem, Wake County Sheriff's Office is being proactive and making sure its deputies are prepared for a worst-case scenario.

Officials said the rapid deployment training Tuesday took place at Ligon Middle School.

The training will prepare the participants for any type of active shooter situation inside schools. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was the first time in over a year officers had a chance to train in person for these type of events.

"Being prepared for it, looking at what happened on the last two or three and learning from them. We all just learn from what happens to hopefully keep it from happening here," Sheriff Gerald Baker said.

All 23 of Wake County's school resource officers participated in this training exercise. The sheriff's office hopes to have about two-three of these training sessions each year.

Last week, in addition to the fatal school shooting at Mount Tabor High School in Winston-Salem, a 16-year-old brought two guns to Enloe High School and another student was injured in a shooter at New Hanover High School in Wilmington.