State and local law enforcement agencies will hold an active shooter exercise at 10:45 a.m. Tuesday in and around Champ Auditorium on the Westminster College campus in Fulton.
"We would greatly appreciate media outlets helping us get the word out to the general public that this is a drill and not an actual incident so we do not alarm anyone unnecessarily," said Westminster President Dr. Benjamin Ola. Akande.
The college has also alerted local public schools, which plan to notify all district parents about the exercise via a mass contact on Sunday. The district will also be sending a reminder to the parents of McIntire students on Monday as the school is near the campus.
Missouri State Highway Patrol, Callaway County Sheriff, Fulton Police officers, the Fulton Fire Department, Callaway County Emergency Management and Callaway Ambulance District will join Westminster Security officers and members of the college community in conducting the drill.
A group of Westminster students will participate in the exercise along with the actor who is playing the role of "the shooter." Students identified as "victims of the shooter" during the exercise will be carried out on stretchers from the auditorium.
A similar active shooter exercise was held on the Westminster campus in 2009.
"We do table top simulations of various crisis scenarios every year to give our college community the opportunity to practice stepping into their emergency roles in dealing with actual situations," said Westminster Security Director Jack Benke. "Exercises such as this simulation are invaluable to ensure we are ready to deal with any emergency and protect the safety of our students, faculty, staff and any campus visitors in the case of a crisis."