TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – A horrifying moment unfolds Thursday when two people died and six people injured in mass shootings on Florida State University’s campus.
It was a terrifying, harsh reminder unfolded at the Citrus Parktown Center Mall when the 16-year-old was shot dead in a parking lot last fall.
Repeated History: FSU sees tragedy with mass shooting again
The cold sound of the shooting left an indelible mark in many of the area.
“I think we had three shots,” Tori Chandler said.
It’s a noise that Chandler will never forget, and she is now keeping the visually impaired in public places when there is a dangerous threat.
“I’m off, find a safe place, gather people I can and get to the safe place and barricades,” Chandler said.
Public safety questions are once again at the forefront of the conversation, but there are three possible life-saving action words: Run, hide, fight.
Two food service employees killed in FSU shooting
“If you’re in the worst case scenario when you’re facing a shooter, don’t give up,” said Edward McGovern, founder and CEO of CERA Software.
McGovern is a former police major and SWAT sniper at the Hallandale Beach Police Department.
He was the responding officer in the 2018 fatal mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School.
After more than 20 years of service, McGovern is now focusing on the technical aspects of public safety.
He created the Cera-Critical Event Response application to improve police response to aggressive shooter situations and other serious cases.
McGovern encourages the community to respond to active shooters with “running fight” training tactics.
“Understand what you can access,” McGovern said. “It could be a fire extinguisher. It could be an object that you throw at the shooter. It could be something that temporarily prevents the shooter from attacking.”
