Local, federal authorities conduct active shooter drill at YISD school
Federal and local law enforcement officers, equipped with bulletproof vests, helmets and guns, surrounded Ysleta High School Tuesday morning for an active shooter drill.
More and more school districts in the United States are conducting theses drills on campuses after two major massacres on school grounds this year.
Seventeen people were shot and killed in at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida this February.
In May, 10 were killed and more than a dozen injured during a school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas.
“We can no longer think that it’s not going to happen to us in our communities,” said Ryan Urrutia, a commander with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office. “This is always a threat no matter where we live.”
Although it was a drill, El Paso police, along with ICE, the FBI and El Paso County sheriff’s officials, entered Ysleta High School with their guns aimed, prepared to encounter chaos. District officials said they don’t want to alarm anyone, they just want students, staffers and authorities to know what to do should chaos happen.
“Preparation is always better than reaction,” said J.R. Martinez, chief of security at YISD.
After some time, kids came out cuffed, hands on their heads, and were led away from the campus.
YISD is just the latest Borderland district to carry out the drills. In May, Clint High School conducted a full-fledged active shooter drill, to not only train students and staff members, but first responders.
Gun violence on school grounds is one of the reasons Democrat El Paso Rep. Joe Moody is spearheading a “Red Flag Law.”
“I’m certain people will oppose this,” Moody said in an interview with ABC-7 on June 18. “There are some folks that are of the opinion of, no matter the danger you may pose, that at no point should we be able to deprive you of your weapons.”
“Red Flag Laws” allow law enforcement, and in some cases family members, to request a court to have a person whom a judge deems dangerous have their guns confiscated.
His prediction was correct. At the Criminal Jurisprudence Committee meeting in Austin on Monday, Moody discussed the proposed legislation with lawmakers and the public, many of whom said it would infringe on their Second Amendment right.
On Twitter, Gov. Greg Abbott said he was not in favor of the law.
“The safety of our kids is paramount, and we do everything in our power to ensure that safety,” said Martinez. “The whole community is involved, it’s not just about Ysleta.”
