North Raleigh Today

Deputies with the Wake County Sheriff's Office learned new ways to respond to an active shooter situation on Wednesday – one day before a mass shooting occurred in northeast Raleigh.

Deputies trained inside a school earlier this year, but this week's special training took place inside the Wake County Justice Center, according to WTVD. Hundreds of people generally visit the courthouse on any given day, including judges, prosecutors, and people on trial or in traffic court.

"It can happen anywhere, and it has," Gerald Baker, sheriff of Wake County, said. "It's likely, you know; folks get upset about things that happened with the judicial matters, and it could happen."

Baker said he wants his department to be prepared to encounter active shooters, WTVD reported. The after-effects can linger for months, as evidenced by the fact that communities in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, are still grieving after deadly shootings occurred in their cities. 

"We need to go ahead and sharpen our knives a little bit, so we can be prepared for what could possibly happen here in Wake County," Baker said. 'Being prepared is half the battle." 

The deputies learned skills that can be used to protect themselves, innocent bystanders, and other first responders on the scene of an active shooter situation, according to WTVD. The law enforcement personnel roamed the hallways of the Justice Center, looking for places where a criminal or a scared office employee could hide.

"What we're trying to do is get these officers moving to the location of the shooter, and they're looking for evidence along the way that would lead them to the shooter, such as hearing the noise from a gun or screams of blood [sic] – different things they may see that would help them indicate where the shooter may be in a building," Lt. Brian Bowers, who is leading the training, said.

Every deputy in the department took part in the training to ensure that they will not hesitate to respond if a student in a classroom or a secretary inside an office building needs assistance, WTVD reported.

"We're training ours to respond," Bowers said. "Regardless of the situation, you've got to go because the people in there don't have nothing [sic] to defend themselves with and that's one of the times where you put officer safety aside and you put your life on the line."

Raleigh police closed off areas near the Hedingham neighborhood Thursday afternoon and evening due to an active shooter situation. The suspect has since been taken into custody.