Fake screams of terror, police sirens and shouted commands filled the air as law enforcement officials swarmed William Woods University on Friday.
As part of its preparation for the upcoming school year, William Woods hosted the Fulton Police Department and other emergency responders to conduct an active shooter drill on campus.
"It was a lot more terrifying than I thought it would be," said Mikayla Laburay, a sophomore at the school. "A lot of people screaming, cops everywhere. We never knew when it was going to happen."
Laburay went through training Friday morning with many of her peers. They learned survival tactics and how to behave in an active shooter scenario. The classroom instruction, however, was hard to remember when the shooter, a trained officer with the Fulton police, came storming in, Laburay said.
"They told us not to hide under the desks, but we immediately did," she said. "The instruction went in one ear and out the other."
Fulton Police Chief Steve Myers said this is the second active shooter training event they have been involved with this year.
"We learn something new every time we do one," he said. "Ten years ago we didn't think about anything like this, but with the situations going on in the country today, we have to train for it."
This particular training, Myers said, also involved the Holts Summit Police Department, Fulton Fire Department and Missouri Highway Patrol.
"We have (them) here today so we can all train together, so that if this happens, we're going to be used to working together," he said. "(As a department) we train four or five times a year in different building so the officers are familiar."
The role of the shooter was played by one of Myers' officers, who participated in a two-week course on active shooter drills.
The drill, which began at 1 p.m., started with the "shooter" entering the library, carrying a fake assault rifle powered by CO2 that simulates the sound of gunshots without projectiles.
Some students and faculty were chosen beforehand to play victims. As law enforcement officers arrived to the scene of the drill, students were ushered out, including some who were playing injured victims.
Katie Lawrence, a librarian at the college, was asked to play a hysterical victim.
"Being hysterical was my role," she said after escaping the building. "Basically screaming and running around a bit. The students were better actors than I was."
Eventually, law enforcement officers stopped the shooter, and students and faculty were allowed to leave.
Mike Wills, director of residential life and campus safety, said the drill was a success.
"It went very well," he said. "There was really good classroom instruction from the Fulton PD this morning - they did an excellent job."
The instruction, Wills said, helped students learn barricading tactics and useful information for evading a shooter.
"We went over a lot of techniques," he added. "It was very informative."
The training followed the commonly taught run, hide, fight technique, Wills said.
"We train first to run," he said. "When you can't get away, we train to hide. Under the most extreme circumstances, we train to fight."
The drill was also a learning opportunity for the school and law enforcement on where they need to improve.
"Like any drill, you're going to find things you could do better," Wills said. "At the university, this is a pretty ambitious drill. I think there were a lot of lightbulbs that went on because of that."
Myers said one of the things the police department learned involved its communication equipment.
"We found out one of our radios didn't work," he added. "We'll do a brief later today and get feedback and check on the students. It's a little traumatic for them sometimes."
When it was over, students like Laburay said they gained respect for law enforcement officials and learned to be aware.
"Stay aware of your surroundings," she said. "Be alert. In this day and age there are a lot of people around and you can't predict what they do."
Concerning active shooter scenarios, Wills added, trusting your gut can be lifesaving.
"I think the No. 1 thing I always say is to trust instinct," he said. "A lot of the times things seem unreal, and we convince ourselves through logic they aren't. Accept the situation, and run, hide or fight if you have to."