There are a lot of things you can do, but what you can do is limited to your location and your distance from the shooter. If you are at a safe enough distance, you should call 911 and alert local law enforcement of the crime being committed. If you are at an advantageous position where you can see the shooter but the shooter can’t see you, stay on the line and keep giving law enforcement information on the shooter’s location and direction.
If you think you do not have time to call law enforcement due to your situation, evacuate immediately. If you know your surroundings, think of an escape route with plenty of cover and not wide open spaces. Leave your belongings if they will hinder your escape. And if you see wounded people in the location, do not attempt to move them unless you are trained to do so.
In the instance where evacuation is not an option, the best thing to do is to find a hiding place, one that is away from the shooter’s view. According to Martin Lloyd Sanders, the best place to hide is a location where the door can be locked, items can be used to barricade the entrance, and you also have other means of escaping like a window.
Captain Martin Lloyd Sanders, Ph.D., obtained his degree in zoology at the University of California and his doctorate from the Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health. To know more about Capt. Sanders, visit his profile here .
Disclaimer: This site was prepared by Martin L. Sanders
in his personal capacity. The opinions expressed are the author's own and do
not reflect the views of the USPHS, the Department of Health and Human
Services, or the United States government.
