LANCASTER, Pa. — Law enforcement are applauding how store employees reacted during the Oct. 17 shooting at Park City Mall.
When the shots rang out, many shoppers ran out of the mall. Store workers helped other shoppers hide in back rooms.
“We just kind of grabbed everybody,” Hollister employee Anna Burkholder said.
“Pushed everybody in the back, like, run,” coworker Emily Barton added.
Both running and hiding are strategies that follow the active shooter protocol often recommended by experts and endorsed by the Department of Homeland Security: Run, Hide, Fight.
The strategy is as simple as it sounds: first, if at all possible, run away from the shooter. If you can’t run, find a safe place to hide. If you can’t run or hide, be prepared to fight by any means necessary.
“Of course, all three—run, hide, fight—don’t have to be done in that exact order," Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Megan Ammerman said. "Sometimes you can’t run, you have to hide."
You can find more details on the Run, Hide, Fight protocol here.