Shooting at Show Me Center sparks new security measures on campus

Freshman multimedia journalism major Faith Taylor was at a graduation ceremony at the Show Me Center in May when a shot rang out.

Taylor recalled that after the shots were heard, the high school principal initially assured the crowd that it was just a balloon popping. However, when several police officers arrived, the situation became clear.

“They informed us that there was a shooting and everybody needs to evacuate immediately. So I took my boyfriend's little sister, and we both ran out, and I called my dad as I was leaving,” Taylor said. “There was a man that was inside who had got shot, and there was a man who was outside that had got shot. I watched them wheel in the gurney to get the man inside, and then I watched them outside work on the man outside, and I walked past them. He looked like he was dead. I didn't know if he was dead or not.”

Both victims were rushed to the hospital and survived. Taylor noted the apparent lack of security at the entrance of the Show Me Center.

“Any building where you're going to have a mass event needs to have metal detectors. When I walked in, there were no metal detectors, there were no police,” Taylor said.

In response to the shooting, SEMO announced several new safety protocols that will be introduced during the semester.

SEMO President Dr. Carlos Vargas said the university plans to add about 50 more security cameras as well as new metal detectors that will be used throughout campus at major events such as football games, River Campus productions and Show Me Center events. The school will also enforce a strict clear-bag policy for all events.

“We're trying to also create awareness and try to reduce the chances of something happening, because when people see that there's security, that may deter somebody from creating a problem,” Vargas said.

Vargas did not specify where the metal detectors and security cameras would be placed and is unsure exactly when they can be implemented because of the time it takes to train employees to handle the new equipment.

“I'm not sure that I have a very clear deadline as to when those things are all going to be they're actually going to be placed in operation a little bit at a time, but with the metal detectors, as soon as we have the training, we'll start rolling them out. I'm assuming that by the middle of this semester, we probably will start seeing some of those being deployed,” Vargas said.

Vargas also noted that while all events will have a stronger presence from the Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers, the level of security will depend on whether the event is for students or people visiting campus.

“If the event is mostly internal, our level of security may not be as high as when we bring members from outside of the institution into the campus,” Vargas said.

Enhanced security measures are aimed at decreasing the chances of a mass shooting and allowing students to feel overall safer on campus.

If there had been more security during the high school graduation, students like Taylor might not have had to fear for their lives on a traditionally celebratory day.

“I thought they were gonna come in and shoot everybody. I thought it was gonna be a mass shooting,” Taylor said.