Active Shooters

June 28, 2017 Crime , OPINION/NEWS

Reuters photo

By

Ricardo Swire

In terror situations an active shooter is the person who uses a firearm to kill or attempt to kill others in a confined or populated area. International counter-terrorism specialists found most active shooters target victims without any pattern or selection method.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) deduced most active shooter incidents occur in commercial business areas, unpredictable situations that happen quickly, within ten to fifteen minutes.

In the majority of cases, especially businesses open to the public, shooters were not employed at the crime scene. Most attacks took place on work days, particularly Tuesday and Friday, Saturday the least possible. America sensitizes Caribbean internal security counterparts to trending law enforcement breakthroughs. On June 19, 2017 the US embassy’s Regional Security Office in Bridgetown, Barbados hosted a two day Active Shooter Attack Training Workshop.

CARICOM’s Regional Security System Headquarters, located in the parish of Christ Church Barbados, accommodated Royal Barbados Police Force (RBPF) and Barbados Defence Force (BDF) attendees. Dominica and Grenada will host similar sessions during the last week of June 2017. The main facilitator, Deputy Chief of Police from Aurora Colorado, was “on scene” commander during the 2012 Aurora movie theater massacre. Twelve people were shot and killed, seventy wounded, after an active shooter opened fire in the crowded cinema.

FBI statistics from 2000 to 2007 showed an average of 7.4 active shooter incidents per year. From 2008 to 2013 16.4 cases were recorded. In one of five occurrences potential victims were able to stop the shooter. In 2016 twenty active shooter cases were registered. Approximately one incident every eighteen days. In May 2016 a man entered Walmart in Grand Forks ND and started shooting. One store employee killed and one wounded, before the active shooter committed suicide with his gun.

A FBI National Center for Analysis of Violent Crime, Behavior Analysis Unit (BAU) assessment determined schools, colleges and universities share the active shooter second most incidents position. On Monday November 28, 2016 Ohio State University’s (OSU) Department of Public Safety informed of an active shooter on campus. After OSU’s Emergency Management issued its “Buck Eye Alert” across the street four to five shots were fired, followed by police sirens and ambulances.

In twelve of fourteen high school and five of six middle school shootings the killers attended targeted schools. Statistics record twenty-seven shootings at US schools, twelve at institutions of higher education. Colleges and universities faced twelve active shooters. The killers were five former students, four current students, two girls and one staff member.