Officers drill high school on shootings

BOUNTIFUL — It's a scenario that has played out for real in recent weeks across the country — shootings in schools, children dead.

In a simulated exercise Tuesday, Bountiful High School was the setting for a drill in which students were taken "hostage" by a gunman.

It started when Viewmont High School resource officer Andy Bryson, portraying the bad guy, entered Bountiful High, "shot" two students in the hallway and took a music class hostage before being shot and killed by police.

Principal Ryck Astle said the school practices a lockdown drill every year. In light of recent school shooting tragedies across the nation, this year's drill had a little more meaning and was watched a little more closely by school administrators.

"I'm not sure we'll ever be (completely) prepared, but we do the best we can," he said.

Although students and parents were warned of the gunman scenario the day before, students did not know when it would happen or in what classroom — the idea being to test readiness.

"We're not here to scare the kids. That's what we don't want," Astle said.

About 10:45 a.m. the gunman entered the school. An announcement was made over the PA system that a stranger with a gun had been spotted in the building and all teachers were instructed to go into a lockdown mode, meaning they lock their classroom doors and don't open them for anyone.

Bryson first tried to get into the choir room.

"He was banging on the door, shaking it," said 17-year-old Zach Brown who was in the classroom.

The gunman then fired a couple of shots into the air. Two students were in the hallway when the lockdown was initiated and were "shot" — though the fake gun was never pointed at them and it only contained blanks.

The students were determined to be "in the wrong place at the wrong time," and told to sit down afterward.

When the gunman reached another room where about 24 students were in a guitar class, he was able to enter.

Guitar teacher Danny Turnblom said he tried locking the door, but the latch didn't catch, something he said would be brought to the attention of administrators.

"He came in and said, 'You are my hostages,'" Turnblom said.

"It was crazy," said student Bryan Godfrey. "We heard shots, then the door opens and he yells, 'Freeze.'"

Every time a shot was fired the students screamed, said Bryson, who ended up firing seven to eight shots.