What should you do in a life or death situation?

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — It’s a terrifying thought. Imagine being trapped in a public place, surrounded by people, and a gunman opens fire. That was what happened Thursday night in Lafayette, Louisiana where a gunman opened fire inside a movie theater killing 33-year-old Jillian Johnson and 21-year-old Mayci Breaux. The two women were in the theater to watch the Amy Schumer comedy, “Trainwreck” when everything turned chaotic. Many others were injured. Closer to home, Captain Perry McEwen with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office said you shouldn’t live your life in fear, but you should be prepared for a nightmare like the one in Lafayette. “What we can do is teach people how to respond to that,” he said. Here in the Mid-South, Wolfchase Galleria hosts an active shooter drill every year. McEwen said he even talks to his own family about what they can do to protect themselves if someone tried shooting inside a building like a theater. “I sit next to the edge about halfway up. That way, my wife and I can jump over the edge. There is a way to escape.” WREG then asked him what would be the best thing to do: run or hide? McEwen said there was no right answer other than to be watchful and aware of your surroundings. “If you hear this bang, bang, scream stimulant, you don’t go, ‘Is that gunfire?’ Then you walk out and see and chance getting shot,” he said. As for helping family or friends with you, he said he sure to have a plan ahead of time. “If you and I are at a movie theater, I’m going to say to you, ‘This is what we’re going to do if something happens. This is what we’re going to do,” said McEwen. “That doesn’t mean you won’t be shot. I can try and help you out, or I may have to leave you.”