PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office hosted a seminar at Valley Ridge Academy in Ponte Vedra Beach Monday night to teach residents how to respond in an active shooter situation.
Concerns about a changing trajectory of mass violence prompted the Sheriff’s Office to start the new program.
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Sheriff David Shoar attended the 90-minute training session, which focused on teaching people how to react and what to expect.
Shoar said he hopes it makes a difference.
“We're not trying to be alarmist, just make people aware there are little things they can do when they go to a venue that can give them a little bit of an edge in the event that something bad happens,” Shoar said.
According to experts, if there is an active shooter in the immediate area, the key phrase people need to know is, “Run, hide, fight.”
People who attended the event told News4Jax that they wish more people had known about it.
They said they learned they need to experience the possibilities of mass chaos and violence in their minds, in case their bodies ever have to react.