A group of US high school students are being praised for their composure, after a video showing them realising a school shooter may be impersonating a cop to lure them out of their classroom was shared to TikTok.
Four students were killed and six others wounded in a school shooting at Michigan’s Oxford High School on Tuesday local time, and a video has been posted to TikTok of a terrifying interaction between students and what appears to be a disguised school shooter.
The chilling footage shows students huddled together in a corner of a classroom, as a male voice can be heard speaking outside the barricaded door.
“Kids! Sheriff’s office,” the voice can be heard saying in the video.
“It’s safe to come out.”
https://www.tiktok.com/@shwifty766/video/7036463957997030702?is_copy_url=0&is_from_webapp=v1&sender_device=pc&sender_web_id=6963406901934949893
The terrified students whisper among each other, with one exclaiming “he said it’s safe to come out”, while another is heard saying “we don’t know who that is”.
One of the people in the room — it’s unclear whether they are a teacher or a student — goes up to the door and says: “We’re not taking that risk right now.”
The male voice outside the door pleads for them to come out, saying “OK, well, just open the door, and look at my eyes, bro.”
Amazingly, even under duress the students pick up on the speaker’s casual language, with one pointing out: “He said ‘bro’, red flag”. The teens then climb out the window, run across pavement and into another hallway.
“He said ‘bro’. Red flag.” These kids have more sense than many, many adults that I know. https://t.co/7sCdBCs98O
— Tressie McMillan Cottom (@tressiemcphd) December 1, 2021
The fear and tension in the video is palpable, with users in the comments both impressed and saddened at how quickly the children dealt with the scenario.
“These kids are smart. No one panicked. They helped each other. It’s sad that they’ve had to train for this, but it saved their lives,” a user commented on the TikTok video.
A 15-year-old boy has been taken into custody and charged as an adult.
According to the CNN, it is the deadliest school shooting since 2018. There have been 48 shootings this year on K-12 campuses, 32 of them since August 1.
If you need mental health support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or chat online.
Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
