ATLANTA — Atlanta Police and Fire Rescue are now freshening up on their skills. The agencies held an active shooter response training in the wake of the deadly mass shooting that caused a frantic scene in metro Atlanta.
It's been nearly two weeks since a gunman opened fire on a Midtown medical facility, taking the life of one woman and injuring four others.
The suspect was caught in Cobb County after police said he allegedly stole a truck and drove it to the area. After an hours-long manhunt for the alleged shooter, Deion Patterson, he was finally taken into custody on May 3 by Cobb County Police.
The training took place at the Oakland Cemetery Thursday morning.
Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told reporters the trainings are scheduled quarterly and different locations are purposely chosen to ensure first responders are prepared.
"This is a real. And remember, that was at noon on a Wednesday... Just an average day in Atlanta, Georgia. And so we never know when we're going to be called upon to save lives," Schierbaum said.
The training was in conjunction with Atlanta Fire Rescue. Chief Roderick Smith explained one of the key elements is ensuring his department is able to communicate with different agencies.
"We're always looking to improve our communications across the public safety platform. And so we will definitely make sure that we stay in that collaborative space," Smith said.
Both agencies worked on a range of strategies including response time and extraction of victims from a scenario.
Paul Merritt, an instructor with the Atlanta Police Department, explained the training at Oakland Cemetary incorporated information from the mass shooting in Midtown and other, similar incidents across the country.
Police and emergency responders were located at the southwest corner of the historic burial ground, which is located near Memorial Drive and Oakland Avenue.
The public was not allowed in that section of the cemetery during the training.
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