Active Shooter

An active shooter can be described as a person who may cause death or serious bodily injury through the use of a firearm. This is a dynamic situation that usually evolves rapidly and demands action from law enforcement officers. The immediate response of the first officers on the scene is to take aggressive measures to find and stop the life-threatening situation.

A. Active Shooter Initial Response

  1. If you are aware that a person has a firearm or hear gunfire you should protect yourself first by moving to a safe location.
  2. From a safe location call Public Safety by dialing 5111 from a campus phone or 678-359-5111 by cellular service.
  3. Provide the dispatcher with your location, name, and phone number and describe the situation you are reporting.

B. Classroom or Office

  1. If you are in a classroom or office, stay there and turn off the lights. Close and lock all windows and doors. If you cannot lock the door, try to block it with furniture. If the door has a window, cover it if you can.
  2. Depending on the gunman's location, consideration may be made to exit through a window. Assign someone to watch as you get as many persons out of the window (ground floor) as calmly and quietly as possible. If the windows are not accessible or you are not on a ground floor, stay out of sight from the door area while remaining low and quiet. Do not try to carry personal possessions.
  3. If police are not on the scene, move well away from the incident and find a safe cover position that is away from open parking lots. Wait for police to arrive.
  4. When police arrive on the scene, you should move toward them when safe to do so while keeping your hands on the top of your head. Do exactly what the police tell you to do.
  5. Once safe do not leave the area entirely. You may have information that responding police officers will need.

C. Hallways or Corridor

  1. If you are in a hallway during an active shooting, move to a room that is not already secure and secure it.
  2. If you are not close to an exit, do not travel a long hall to get to one. You may encounter the gunmen or hostage taker. Do not hide in restrooms.

D. Trapped with a Gunman

  1. If you are trapped with a gunman, do not provoke him/her. If they are not shooting, comply with any requests and do not move suddenly. It is a personal decision of what you will or will not do to preserve your life or that of others.
  2. Attempting to overcome the suspect with force is a last resort that should only be considered in the most extreme circumstances. Remember there may be more than one shooter.

E. Open Spaces Response

  1. Stay alert and look for appropriate cover locations. Brick walls, large trees, retaining walls, parked vehicles and any other objects which may stop firearm ammunition penetration, may be utilized as cover.