'I would rather die fighting': Ottawa County residents attend active shooter training

WEST OLIVE — A group of Ottawa County residents recently attended a civilian response training for an active shooter situation Monday, May 22.

“I might have all these cool things on my belt,” Sgt. Chris Koster said in front of the class of 14, in the main conference room of the Fillmore Complex. “But you guys are the first responders.” 

In the two-and-a-half-hour class, the almost 30-year-career police officer spoke about disaster response psychology, different “active attack events” that've taken place over the past 25 years, and the various responses one can have in stressful and chaotic situations. 

“You’re not going to be looking at others on how to act, you’re going to act,” Koster said, describing “social proof,” when people know the right thing to do, but look to others to do it first.

“If the group decides to do nothing, what’s the likelihood of you doing nothing?” Koster asked the audience rhetorically. “It’s great. Because you don’t want to stand out, necessarily, from the crowd.” 

Some of the people in attendance were county employees, church staff and security.

“I hope that you never have to encounter an active attack event in real life,” Koster said. “But could it happen? Absolutely, this is an evil world.” 

Daisy Martinez-Pineda attended Monday's class as an employee at the Ottawa County Courthouse. Martinez-Pineda, born in 1999, was used to doing active shooter drills at school.

“It feels weird not doing that as an adult and not knowing how I could help or how I could react better in public,” she said. “I feel like this should be a training most people over the age of 18 continue to do, so they’re aware of what they can do.” 

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Throughout the class, Koster spoke about fight, flight, or freeze — and talked about the ways stress can inhibit one’s fine motor skills, making small tasks like unbuckling a seatbelt more tricky in the moment. 

He also said it's important to have “situational awareness,” to call 911 if something seems suspicious or if an emergency is taking place. He encouraged attendees to find exits in a space, including additional exits like windows, and common items that could be used to barricade a door, or to use as a weapon if needed. 

Sometimes, he said, there isn’t anywhere to run or hide. 

“We’re not going to wait for others, we’re going to lead the way,” Koster said. “What’s your choice? Sit there and die? Or fight, and maybe die? … I would rather die fighting than sitting. That’s the stuff you guys have to answer for yourself. I can’t answer that for you.” 

At the end of the presentation, Koster addressed citizens with CPLs, or concealed pistol licenses.

“I would just say get trained,” Koster said. “You owe that to yourself.” 

The officer said, in case of an emergency situation, CPL owners should either re-holster their weapon or drop it when police arrive on-scene, so as not to be confused with the assailant. 

At the end, Koster pointed out to the attendees he'd not once named any assailants from past attacks. 

“We don’t hear enough about the victims," he said. "We only hear about the suspects. They’re looking for notoriety. They want to live in infamy based on their body count. They want to be compared to the next guy, or the guy prior.”