When the active shooter alarm sounded inside Newman Regional Health, it left patients and employees in a lockdown situation, waiting for hours for the all-clear. We spoke with patients and employees in various areas of the hospital to gather their perspectives on how the situation unfolded.

Nurse Kendra Shaw was walking down a hallway on the third floor, returning to her office, when the alarm sounded. She says her first thought was, “Is this real?” but in a matter of moments, she was locked in a room with three others, where they waited for nearly two hours. Fortunately, some of the people she was with had their cell phones, and they were able to message family and co-workers and also check social media for updates.

“We didn’t really know what was going on for a long time,” Shaw said. “

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