Ask my boss Malcom Lewis about school shootings, and here’s what he’ll tell you: “An active shooter wants to kill as many people as possible. They’ve made their mind up – if they die doing it, they die.”
He knows what he’s talking about, security is his thing. I’m an avid reader – news is my jam. But Malcom sees the things I don’t notice.
It’s why expertise beats opinion every time.
Gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children. Our first school shooting was in 1999. Why, in 2023, are they becoming the norm?
We think it’s because the traditional approach to a security assessment hasn’t changed much since Columbine. We do security assessments for federally protected infrastructure – which includes schools, banks, courthouses, police stations, jails, and prisons. If we want to protect our kids, we need to stop arguing about politics and invest in new technologies.
Foxhole offers a vendor assessment to explain and compare what’s available for security in schools, churches, office buildings, malls and stadiums. Not all organizations have the time or expertise to assess these technologies. We evaluate the pros and cons, develop a comparison chart, and consider budgetary constraints.
For example, Johnston County schools just purchased an AI gun identification system that sends an alert when a gun is on the premises. To equip all their schools, the cost is estimated to be about $6 million. Not everyone has the budget for that, but there are lots of options – from Kevlar curtains to scene-changing analytics, popup bullet-proof rooms to remote lockdown capability.
Another issue is many of these school buildings are old – incorporating electronic technologies could be difficult. District planners need to look at the number of elementary schools – often 2 or 3x more buildings than middle or high schools. What investments can be made and justified for buildings that may not be viable in another 5 years?
We have a simple three-step process to improve school – or workplace – security. Call us.
What happened at Covenant School?
The school doors were locked. The first 911 call came in at 10:13 am. The police arrived 8 minutes later and the shooter was killed within 4 minutes.
But 3 kids and 3 staff members were dead. In less than 12 minutes, 6 people lost their lives.
This is the surveillance footage from the Tennessee Covenant school shooting. These are the moments where the shooter was able to get into the building and look for victims.
Let’s walk through it. I missed a lot.
The Parking Lot
The video begins by following the shooter’s van as it travels through the parking lot. At :21 seconds, in the upper right-hand corner, there are children on a playground with a teacher. The shooter had to have seen them but didn’t pause.
“She wasn’t interested in them, you see,” Malcom said. “It wasn’t big enough – not enough damage.”
What’s interesting is that the video jumps just after the turn by the playground and we do not see her walk from her vehicle to the door.
In terms of prevention, that’s critical. The shooter was carrying 2 assault-style weapons – very visible if she was recorded.
This was at 9:54:39 CT – more than 15 minutes before the first 911 call. The private school had no SRO. So, who was monitoring the surveillance system and why weren’t the police called as soon as she was seen?
Entering the Building
The tape timeline jumps to 10:10 CT. She approaches a side entrance and shoots out the inner and outer doors. She kicks out the glass and steps into the building. It’s 11 minutes after 10. We can assume that the first 911 call is made as a result of this initial round of gunfire.
Malcom reminds me of the first time he took me to a shooting range – how shocked I was at the loudness.
In our situational awareness class, he tests people’s recognition of gunfire by using lots of different audio clips, firecrackers, truck backfires, a BB gun, a handgun, and automatic weapon fire.
The shooter comes into the main hall, the building appears deserted.
“See that,” Malcom says. “The door to that office shouldn’t be left unlocked. The staff must have gone into lockdown, but the room should be locked in case anyone is hiding.”
Confronting the Shooter
Despite speculation otherwise, the shooter wasn’t specific in terms of targets. She was just shooting randomly. “Bursts of automatic weapon fire – 152 rounds. She just wanted to kill people, like they all do,” he says. “She even shot at the police when they arrived, blowing out the windshield on a cruiser.”
When police arrived they cleared the first floor of kids and staff. A random staff member meets the outside, tells them the kids are locked down on the second floor.
“I know she’s trying to help,” Malcom says, shaking his head, “but her job is with the children. The police just taking information without any verification could get people shot.”
At 10:27, the shooter was killed by the police. Every time I hear someone write or say, ONLY three children, I cringe. I know what they mean but it hurts my heart.
What happened at Covenant School?
The school doors were locked. The first 911 call came in at 10:13 am. The police arrived 8 minutes later and the shooter was killed within 4 minutes.
But 3 kids and 3 staff members were dead. In less than 12 minutes, 6 people lost their lives.
This is the surveillance footage from the Tennessee Covenant school shooting. These are the moments where the shooter was able to get into the building and look for victims.
Let’s walk through it. I missed a lot.
The Parking Lot
The video begins by following the shooter’s van as it travels through the parking lot. At :21 seconds, in the upper right-hand corner, there are children on a playground with a teacher. The shooter had to have seen them but didn’t pause.
“She wasn’t interested in them, you see,” Malcom said. “It wasn’t big enough – not enough damage.”
What’s interesting is that the video jumps just after the turn by the playground and we do not see her walk from her vehicle to the door.
In terms of prevention, that’s critical. The shooter was carrying 2 assault-style weapons – very visible if she was recorded.
This was at 9:54:39 CT – more than 15 minutes before the first 911 call. The private school had no SRO. So, who was monitoring the surveillance system and why weren’t the police called as soon as she was seen?
Entering the Building
The tape timeline jumps to 10:10 CT. She approaches a side entrance and shoots out the inner and outer doors. She kicks out the glass and steps into the building. It’s 11 minutes after 10. We can assume that the first 911 call is made as a result of this initial round of gunfire.
Malcom reminds me of the first time he took me to a shooting range – how shocked I was at the loudness.
In our situational awareness class, he tests people’s recognition of gunfire by using lots of different audio clips, firecrackers, truck backfires, a BB gun, a handgun, and automatic weapon fire.
The shooter comes into the main hall, the building appears deserted.
“See that,” Malcom says. “The door to that office shouldn’t be left unlocked. The staff must have gone into lockdown, but the room should be locked in case anyone is hiding.”
Confronting the Shooter
Despite speculation otherwise, the shooter wasn’t specific in terms of targets. She was just shooting randomly. “Bursts of automatic weapon fire – 152 rounds. She just wanted to kill people, like they all do,” he says. “She even shot at the police when they arrived, blowing out the windshield on a cruiser.”
When police arrived they cleared the first floor of kids and staff. A random staff member meets the outside, tells them the kids are locked down on the second floor.
“I know she’s trying to help,” Malcom says, shaking his head, “but her job is with the children. The police just taking information without any verification could get people shot.”
At 10:27, the shooter was killed by the police. Every time I hear someone write or say, ONLY three children, I cringe. I know what they mean but it hurts my heart.