This past Saturday, the United States was hit with yet another mass-shooting incident. In Jacksonville, Florida, a white man opened fire at a Dollar General and killed three Black people “in what officials say was a racially-motivated attack” (CNN). As with any shooting, the country’s lax gun control laws were brought into question, sparking heated debates with no perfect solution to satisfy both sides. As of now, we can’t stop bad people from getting guns, but we can reduce the chance of mass-shootings by detecting potential shooters early on with effective security and close monitoring.
Timeline of Events
Before the shooter carried out his attack, he was spotted lurking around Edward Waters University, a historically Black university. It is believed that the campus was the original target of his hate-crime, but his attempt was thwarted by a university police officer. At around 12:48 p.m. that day, students reported seeing the shooter “putting on a tactical vest, gloves, mask” and alerted a patrolling officer (NBC). The police officer then asked the shooter to leave and followed him as he drove out of the campus parking lot at 12:57 p.m.
The university officer flagged down a local sheriff’s officer and notified him of this incident, but at 1:08 p.m., the first victim was shot in the parking lot of the nearby Dollar General. The shooter then went into the store and claimed his last two victims before shooting himself at 1:19 p.m., the same time that officers entered the store. Later on, authorities determined that the firearms the shooter used were most likely obtained legally as he did not have a criminal arrest history that would bar him from purchasing guns.
Video Monitoring Is Key
It seems likely that our country will always be split on the issue of gun control and our right to bear arms. But the Jacksonville shooter shows that even when there are gun control regulations in place, it’s still possible for people with bad intentions to get guns, whether legally or illegally. There’s no way that we can completely eradicate mass-shootings, but we can take advantage of video monitoring equipment to identify and stop potential shooters before they act.
In the case of the Jacksonville shooting, the students’ early reports of the suspicious incident and the university officer’s confrontation were credited as the reasons why the shooter wasn’t able to carry out his original plan. This proves that early threat detection is the key in preventing tragic events from happening. However, we can’t always rely on bystanders to report or even recognize potential threats. The best security plan would be to use video surveillance to allow security teams to keep a close watch on all areas at all times. If any suspicious activity is detected, they would be able to quickly dispatch officers to diffuse the situation.
Detect Threats With 2M Technology
Until we are able to come up with an effective gun control policy that everyone can agree on, the risk of mass-shootings will continue. However, we can detect threats early on and stop them in their tracks with video monitoring. Contact 2M Technology now and let us develop a complete video surveillance solution to secure your premises! You can email us at [email protected] or talk to one of our security experts by phone at +1 (214) 988-4302.