The Fort Lauderdale airport shooting impacted airports all over the country, including San Diego’s Lindbergh Field, as many airports ramped up security.
Experts agree it's important to think through scary scenarios before you encounter them. This time, though, the scenario was as real as it was tragic. Playing out Friday morning in the Florida airport, a gunman stormed a baggage claim and opened fire, killing five people and wounding many others.
10News spoke to a local expert about what you should do in active shooter situation.
“Know where you are, where are the other exits,” Wayne Maxey, of Maxey Investigations, told 10News reporter Rielle Creighton. Maxey is a security consultant who trains businesses and their employees on how to respond to an active shooter.
He said the instinct to run is exactly what people should do.
“Right and that's the standard now is run, hide, fight and it’s kind of a human instinct a lot of people will run anyway," Maxey said.
It can happen anywhere, Maxey said, and that means being mentally prepared at all times.
“Prepare yourself to act, move, I'm going to run or I'm going to go hide,” he said.
Hiding, Maxey said, is finding any sort of cover. However, he said if you can to run and get out safely.
If not, he said fight, but remember you may not have a choice.
“Stand there and be shot or stabbed, or move to the attacker and engage him. An airport cart can be used if you have to protect yourself, even to use the cart if necessary to hide behind,” Maxey said.
He said use whatever you have if you're confronted, like your phone or your luggage. He added that staying alert is often the key to survival.
“Use [luggage] to roll toward the person, throw at the person to help distract and disrupt their attack,” Maxey said. “You don't have to go around at Defcom 5 high alert that an attack is going to happen on every corner but you do need to be aware of your surroundings.”
