Police Hold Active Shooter Drill at Atlanta LGBTQ+ Nightclub

In the wake of the mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado Springs, some LGBTQ+ nightclubs in other cities are preparing for what to do if they face such a situation.

For instance, the Atlanta Police Department and the Mayor's Division of LGBTQ Affairs held an active shooter and "stop the bleed" training at Future, a club in that city, TV station WAGA reports. It took place Monday, the one-month anniversary of the Club Q tragedy, in whic five people were killed and more than 20 injured.

"The thought that we would even have to offer this training is concerning, but we want to be prepared," Atlanta Police Chief Darin Schierbaum told the station.

There have been threats against LGBTQ+ spaces in Atlanta. Just days after the Club Q shooting, a man was arrested for making terroristic threats on two bars in the city, Heretic and Felix's. Chase Staub was taken into custody over Thanksgiving.

"The community reached out to us and said, 'We are concerned. We believe something is here that could be a threat.' And we moved quickly," Schierbaum said.

If people are in the presence of a shooter, they have a few options, he told WAGA. These include evacuating if possible, putting up a barricade, and even confronting the shooter. The latter proved effective at Club Q.

At the Atlanta event, workers from Grady Memorial Hospital showed attendees how to take care of wounded people; among other things, they offered tourniquet demonstrations. Grady is the region's only Level 1 trauma center, meaning it "is capable of providing total care for every aspect of injury - from prevention through rehabilitation," according to the American Trauma Society.

"We know training like this saves lives, and to know what to do when a worst-case scenario happens is key," Schierbaum said.