Cheney Mason/Winonan

A shooting in Winona last Sunday afternoon at an apartment building near Winona State University’s west campus left one man dead after being shot in the abdomen and the city on high alert for the offenders.

Residents of west campus said they felt unsafe, making most of them question what they would do in the event of an active shooter.

“It made me feel kind of unsafe, and it was scary to be so close to it,” Crystal Lovegreen stated. “I don’t even know what I would do in the event of a shooting.”

Brett Lubinski said he also was not sure of the actions he would have to take.

“It is scary to think that something like this happened in Winona so close to where I live. It seems like a pretty safe community,” Lubinski said. “I am not aware of the protocol for a shooter.”

One student felt uncomfortable when she heard about the shooting over popular social media app, Yik Yak.

“I felt very uncomfortable and uninformed. I never would think of what I would do in a shooting. I feel like I would try to fight if I had to,” Kristi Loomis said.

Student Kevin Robertson expressed uneasy feelings.

“When I saw the email about the shoot-ing I got a little nervous,” Robertson said. “It was scary that it was so close. If I was in a situation like a shooter we should have a lockdown and stay in a safe, locked place.”

Shootings like this event and the one at a community college in Oregon have inspired training courses at Winona State University.

During an active shooter training course, led by Donald Walski, head of security, Walski explained what people can do to save their life in a life-threatening event.

Although a school shooting is highly unlikely, it is important to be informed, Walski said.

“It is very important to report any problems noticed on campus,” Walski said. “If reported, issues are dealt with by Winona State University right away.”

According to the course, statistics show that 80 percent of people do not act on the knowledge of an active shooting.

“Some people are afraid to report and reveal their names. They don’t want to ‘tell on’ people,” Walski said. “Students, faculty and staff need to report. It can save lives.”

Any suspicions can be reported to the Behavioral Assessment and Intervention Team also known as the BAIT, Winona State Security, or Winona State police department.

The training course provided information about what to do and what not to do in a stressful and life-threatening situation.

“Law enforcement, after called to address the issue does not arrive until approximately nine to 15 minutes prior,” Walski taught during the course. “That means for the first nine to 15 minutes, students and faculty are on their own. Time slows down in these types of situations. Three main options people have are to run, hide and fight.”

Walski explained during the class, it is unusual in most situations for a shooter to be caught by authorities, and instead they usually commit suicide.

Main campus resident Emily Ness also emphasized the importance of this type of education, but also expressed concern over the shooting last week.

“I think that it would be beneficial to learn about the safety options on campus and what I should do if there is a shooter,” Ness said. “The first thing I would do in a shooting is call the police. I wouldn’t know much else after that.”