Cops Stage Surprise 'Mock Shooting' on High Schoolers' Tour

About 20 high school students were touring a police department in Burlington, Vermont, on Wednesday when a masked gunman burst into the room where an officer was speaking. The man fired his weapon while terrified students ran for cover. Only later did they learn the gun was firing blanks and the man in the mask was another police officer, hoping to teach them a lesson. The scene was a surprise active shooter demonstration, which the department had previously tested on college students and adults, reports Vermont weekly Seven Days. "It felt so real," a student told the outlet. "I'm shaking and crying because I'm like, 'Oh my god, I'm gonna get shot.'"

Some parents said they felt police were playing on their children's fears. "It is a very real threat to kids these days to have a school shooting," one mother told Seven Days. "I'm baffled." The simulation was "meant to show the unreliability of witness statements," per the outlet. Burlington police said it was a simulated "robbery scenario" and "was not directed at any students or faculty," per MSNBC. Police also said teachers had been told there would be a "gunshot-related crime" depicted during the tour. Emails show police told school staff there would be "a mock shooting" involving "fake firearms."

"Do you think that sort of incident would be ok for your group of students? It is about as real life as you can get," the department asked May 23, per Seven Days. "I think these students will be fine with this simulation," school staff reportedly responded, adding, "We will give a heads up to parents and students." Students and parents said they were not informed in advance. Teachers said they hadn't expected the mock shooting to come as a surprise. The Burlington School District issued an apology and made counseling services available to students, per the New Republic. In an email to parents, teachers noted "the detectives did apologize after they realized that the reenactment did not translate well to high school students." (More Burlington, Vermont stories.)