The threat of school violence is real, but the corpses found in this Portland school Saturday were not.
More than 60 law enforcement officers from nine area agencies and dozens of first responders, students and community members participated in an active shooter simulation at Deering High School. In the scenario, police responded to a single shooter targeting students and staff.
Inside the school, which was closed off to the public, so-called victims were scarred with fake blood and petroleum jelly. Outside, emergency medical technicians strapped simulated patients into stretchers and transported them to the nearby Italian Heritage Center for care.
Police had previously warned neighbors that they might hear the sound of simulated gunshots during the nine-hour drill. Dispatch reported no problems, or public panic, as a result of the exercise, which was led by the District II Training Council.
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