Atlanta Police hold active shooter training tailored towards LGBTQ+ venues

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Tuesday night Atlanta Police held an active shooter training geared towards LGBTQ+ bars and venues.

Atlanta Police Chief Darin Scheirbaum says Mayor Andre Dickens initiated the idea for this training following the Club Q nightclub shooting in Colorado Springs.

Last month a gunman entered the Colorado club and unleashed dozens of rounds. The shooting killed five people and injured dozens more. That suspect is facing 10 felony charges.

RELATED: Anti-LGBTQ hate thrives online, spurs fears of more violence.

“This is vital, right? God forbid this ever should occur. But if it happens, wherever you may be in this country, this is good training to have. To know quickly what to do. How to keep yourself safe. How to keep your friends and your family safe,” Chief Schierbaum said.

The training taught people like Morris Singletary, a local emcee, how to act quickly and confidently if ever confronted with an active shooter.

“I am here because I have the opportunity to learn how to protect, or maybe save lives, should we have an incident like what’s happened across the United States,” Singletary said. “As a person who has the mic, I have control of how we can either alert people without causing harm or to give notice to who may be in harm’s way.”

Chief Schierbaum says there are three avenues of action if involved in an active shooting situation: evacuate, create a safe space within the venue, or confront the attacker.

“This has become part of our culture, unfortunately, as we’re responding to gun violence. So this type of training is key. It’s how we keep our community safe. It’s how we respond quickly if something tragic happens,” Chief Schierbaum said.

Copyright 2022 WANF. All rights reserved.