Oregon shooting raises concerns about campus safety

Thursday evening at El Paso Community College Valle Verde campus all was quiet.

Students heading to class, some even catching a nap under the shade. A stark contrast to Umpqua Community College in Rosenburg, Oregon, earlier in the day. Ambulances rushing the wounded to the hospital and students fearing for their lives.

“I heard screaming after that first gunshot,” said one student.
“We were all running just running for our lives,” said another witness.

“That’s one of the worst things that can happen,” said El Paso Community College Police Chief, Jose Ramirez.

It’s a reminder that having a gunman on campus can happen anytime anywhere.

Ramirez tells ABC-7 besides security cameras and a campus emergency alert system campus police stay alert for suspicious activity and prepare for the worst-case scenario.

“We’ve been doing a lot of training. My officers have done training on active shooter situations and I have myself conducted training on active shooters,” said Ramirez.

The campus shooting in Oregon has once again sparked conversation about the campus carry law allowing students and staff to carry weapons legally at school.

“I get that people want to protect themselves so they want to carry that but someone that doesn’t want to use it for protection can also carry it,” said EPCC student, Louis Lozano.

Some believe the campus carry law could help in campus shootings.

“With concealed carry we wouldn’t be totally defenseless because it does take time for police to react,” said Janna Moore.

Guns on campus or not Ramirez says in circumstances like today’s shooting even having double the staff couldn’t completely prevent a gunman from killing.

“How do you stop from someone wanting to commit an act of violence; I cannot get into someone’s head,” said Ramirez.