“What if the person is already in the building? If they’re in a classroom, they now have a set of hostages,” Sealy pointed out.
“Yes, they do. And while that is not a situation we want either, it not only lowers the potential number of victims, but it isolates the shooter.”
“It also tells us who and where they are specifically if they make a move,” Lucas said.
“Exactly. Instant confirmation of the key players and setting. Please don’t mistake me for being callous to anyone in that situation. I’m looking at this strictly from a logic standpoint.”
Sealy cut in. “I still think we should evacuate immediately. The timeline given is just under two hours away. Plenty of time for students to get out of the building, and we take away the shooter’s targets altogether.”
“What if the threat is coming from outside the building? The hold protocol also prevents a mass exodus from the building. We could have another Jonesboro on our hands, where the perpetrator is outside waiting to fire indiscriminately into the crowd. We need a controlled evacuation, one handled by professionals.”
“Also, with students leaving en masse, we have no way to account for everyone,” Lucas pointed out. “It could take hours to relocate students. No. Officer Hookstead is correct.”
“I hate to say it, but you could also end up releasing the shooter out with the students, and then you again have the opportunity for a higher body count because it may be difficult to determine who the threat is coming from.”
They were silent.
She frowned and looked at her watch.
“What is it?” Lucas asked her.
“Why 11:03? Oddly specific.”
“A clue to their plan? The entire student body would be in passing time starting at 11:02, some on their way to lunch. The lunch areas would be at the start of the initial flood of students.”
She nodded, staring absently at the wall. “But it usually takes three to five minutes for them to hit a crowded state.” Her hands rested on her utility belt, index fingers tapping against the leather. “At 11:03, most students would still be in the hallways of the school, making their way to their destination. There would be extremely high traffic in the hallways. Certain halls would be easy to box in and cause massive casualties.”
“You thinking there’s more than one person involved in making the threat?”
“No way to know for sure, but the timing is suggestive to me.”
“You’re talking about an ambush,” Sealy clarified.
“It’s a possibility that fits the time named,” she admitted.
“Most active shooters don’t give any notice,” Lucas added.
“Right. Which is another concern. Why is ours giving us such a head start?”
“Maybe they didn’t think we would see the message?”
“Possibly, but doubtful. Security protocols look for certain words in posts and flag them, which is why I was notified immediately. The system pinged me, and I actually knew before the social media director even picked up her phone to call me.” Her frown deepened. “What are you thinking?” she whispered to the poster, more to herself than expecting an answer from Lucas or Sealy.
“So what do we do?” the superintendent asked. “Our procedures that we have in place really only address if we know there’s an active shooter in the building. They don’t address how to handle a warning.”
Elyxandre told him, “I’ve already called the local police department, and they’re on their way here, no sirens. They’llpark around the campus and maintain their presence until we determine exactly how to proceed. Lieutenant Axton informed me that he would put a call in to SWAT, the FBI, the Rangers, and other law enforcement agencies, including neighboring precincts from up to an hour away, who will be on standby. Some should already be here.
“Standard procedure will also call in firefighters, private ambulance companies, coordinate multiple bus companies, and put the local hospitals on notice. They’ll intercept cell tower coverage once we go into lockdown. We’ll also lose internet. The police will coordinate communications over radios on a controlled frequency.
“At that point, small groups of officers will come in and begin clearing the building one room at a time. Students and adults will be forced to leave everything behind and exit with their hands on their heads to demonstrate cooperation, as well as allow officers to see that individuals aren’t reaching for weapons, plus they’ll be searched as they’re loaded onto buses and taken to several undisclosed locations. At that time, there will be a command center making contact with parents and guardians about pickup procedures.”
Lucas chimed in. “Despite the no-phone policy, some students will still have them. They could see the threat and spread the word. What if students decide to leave their classrooms even if there’s a hold in place?”
“Police will be positioned at all entrances. Anyone exiting the building without law enforcement as an escort will be taken into custody and diverted to a guarded location until they can be cleared and transported.”
She watched Lucas cross to his phone and punch in the code to do an all-call. “Tejeda Springs High School, we are currently in a lockdown. Please follow your teachers’ instructions carefully. Again, Tejeda Springs, we are in a lockdown.”
She looked at Lucas. Admiration rose through her. He showed no signs of panic, despite all the unknowns of the situation. She had no doubt that his mind had to be spinning, but looking at him, no one would know.
