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Fort Wayne Police Has a Plan in Case of Mass Shooting in Public Place

By Daniela Salvador
July 20, 2012 Updated Jul 20, 2012 at 6:33 PM EDT

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (Indiana’s NewsCenter) - How prepared is the Fort Wayne police for a mass shooting at a public place like the one in Colorado early Friday morning?

Police say while it's nearly impossible to predict a massacre like that, they do have a plan in place if a shooting of that magnitude were to occur in Fort Wayne. The plan involves more than the police department.

If a mass shooting were to take place in a public location, the fire department, EMS and other law enforcement agencies would immediately respond.

The first goal would be to identify the shooter and eliminate the threat, which could be done either by taking the person into custody or using force if necessary.

Ultimately, law enforcement will look at the big picture and decide if it was an act or terrorism. Then they would look at why a certain location or group of people was targeted.

They will also look to see if there were any events leading up to the shooting that could have played a role.

Police say part of that process is looking for detailed information from witnesses from the moment they arrive at the scene.

"We want to know who the shooter is,” Officer Raquel Foster said. “Are there multiple shooters? What are they armed with? Give us a description so we know exactly what we're looking for. Give us a location so that we know exactly what area to begin targeting."

Police say that people should protect themselves and flee to safety when encountering situations like the one in Colorado.

Also, people should try to be a good witness and tell police what they saw and heard, but safety is always first.



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