Calexico prepared for mass shooting after Uvalde tragedy
19 students and two teachers were killed in a mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas on May 24, 2022
CALEXICO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - It has been one year since the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The City of Calexico is using that moment to help them prepare should a mass shooting situation take place locally.
A parent's biggest fear is receiving a call that a shooter is at their child's school but how can that be prevented?
After Uvalde, it's a question many ask including the City of Calexico
With tears in her eyes, Zohe Garcia, a mother of three children, two of them attend schools in Calexico.
Garcia said she tries to understand how much the parents in Uvalde are suffering, knowing that that can happen to her children.
“I tell them they have to visualize and know they have to save their lives in situation like these and it has been hard," said Garcia.
Garica is also a member of a safety committee that was created last year and now with the tragedy that happened in Uvalde, she sees a change in how mass shootings are handled.
“Back in the day, they used to teach children to hide and be quiet. But now it is different. Now we are preparing our children to fight for their lives,” mentioned Garcia.
The police department and the school district are working on putting together a plan for students, teachers, and parents in the event of a mass shooting.
"Our officers have been trained and told that if an incident comes around just like Uvalde or even if there is a mention of it we are going to take it very seriously. So our response is our officers are not going to wait for a second unit to show up," Calexico Chief of Police Jesus Serrano.
This project will help instruct everyone on what to do in a situation to help reduce any threats to the local schools and surrounding areas.
"We want to be able to have active shooting actors. Actually, have actors to be victims and have officers to respond in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies and fire department," stated Serrano.
This plan is set to happen next year.
