GILROY, Calif — In the wake of the deadly mass shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, ABC10's Kevin John spoke with Security Expert Hector Alvarez to see if there is anything people can do to protect themselves from an active shooter.
Kevin John: "If you're at a park or festival and you hear gunfire, what's the first thing you should do?"
Hector Alvarez: "The first thing you should do is trust your intuition, and if it sounds like gunfire, accept the fact that it is."
John: "Once you identify where the gunfire is coming from, what is the next step?"
Alvarez: "What you want to do is get as much time, distance, and material between you and the bad stuff. If there's gunfire coming from one direction, go in the other direction. You can hide behind a curb (or tree). It may not be an ideal location, but 12 inches of cover is much better than being out in the open."
John: "If it's a completely open space, flat, and there is literally nowhere to go and hide, what do you suggest that someone does?"
Alvarez: "It depends, but you want to get as far away from the gun as possible. What you don't want to be is an easy target. Your options may range from playing dead, from laying flat on the ground, from running as hard and as fast as you can. Just be prepared to move and do something."
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John: "What other advice would you give to someone who may find themselves in this situation?"
Alvarez: "Surviving these incidents start before they ever occur. If you can come up with a strategy as a family, 'If this happens, this is what we're going to do,' just that little bit of pre-planning makes a dramatic difference. I want to make it back home to my family and I want everyone else to make it back home to theirs."
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