Active-shooter drill at Biola University helps prepare students, officers for emergency

LA MIRADA, Calif. (KABC) -- Students running, shots firing and smoke filling the air were all part of the scene Tuesday in La Mirada as Biola University held an active-shooter training exercise.

Campus safety is once again taking center stage at many colleges and universities across the country following the recent shooting rampage at Michigan State.

About 5,000 students attend Biola, and half of them live on campus. Faculty say student safety is a top priority.

"Anyone can walk onto campus with a firearm," said Chief of Campus Safety John Ojeisekhoba. "So it makes it more challenging knowing you can't keep somebody away from campus property who may bring a gun."

Students who participated in the drill say, even knowing it was a simulation, the sights and sounds of people running and shots going off triggered an adrenaline reaction.

"My heart's still beating," said student Gideon Cheatwood. "Once those shots start going off, your body goes into flight or flight. It's no longer a drill in your brain. You just have to run."

This is only one step the school is taking to increase student safety. The college has their own threat assessment team and they also have training specifically for students.

"We hope we never face this of course," said Matthew Hall, the school's provost and senior vice president. "But as you know the headlines we see tragically on a recurring basis mean we need to be prepared."