Nevada County’s latest Active Shooter Preparedness Exercise disrupted services at the Brighton Greens Resource Center Friday morning. This scenario featured an armed man, unhappy with one of the service agencies, entering the rear of the building near the One Stop Career Office. Norma Andrade was at the front desk at the time and thought the gunman would have come through the front entrance…

This year’s exercise featured blank shotgun shots being fired outside near where the gunman entered, with recorded gunshots being heard through speakers inside. David West, a Veterans Services Officer, and former Marine Corps member, was right nearby, inside an office with Social Services Director Tex Ritter. He says his main focus was keeping Tex calm…

Ritter says this exercise felt more realistic compared to one he was also involved in two years ago at the Rood Center…

About half of the employees managed to get outside, with the others hiding inside, including locking themselves in rooms. Two ended up being wounded. The exercise did not include engaging or arresting the gunman.