A Black employee for a Detroit psychiatric hospital for children is suing the facility after he was asked to play a gunman in an active shooter drill that no one knew about and then detained by police.
Brandon Woodruff was asked by his supervisor to participate in an active shooter drill that took place on Dec. 21, 2022. The 32-year-old had only been working at the Hawthorn Center for five months.
He told Detroit Free Press that neither the patients, local police, nor many of the staff were informed of the active shooter drill. He also added that he was uneasy about the idea but agreed anyway.
Documents from one lawsuit filed over the incident described how the incident unfolded that day for people at Hawthorn who weren’t told about the drill:
“On December 21, 2022, shortly after 10 am, a frantic call went out over the Hawthorn Center paging system announcing for everyone to hear—children and employees alike—that there were active intruders in the building. Then a second frantic announcement came through the overhead system: “two active intruders, one Caucasian male, one African American male, armed with AR 15s, shots fired.”
When Woodruff appeared with a fake rifle on the day of the drill, many patients panicked and dialed 911. The calls caused 50 officers to race to the hospital in tactical gear and arrest Woodruff.
Related: ‘Fears of a Tainted Jury’: Prosecutors In Second-Degree Murder Trial of Maryland Cop Delays Justice for the Family of Black Man Shot Six Times While He Was Handcuffed
Woodruff said he saw a woman running for “her dear life,” according to Detroit Free Press.
“It was one particular room that drew me off guard, one of the living areas. It was the way it was barricaded with mattresses and chairs,” said Woodruff to Detroit Free Press. “I had an uneasy feeling like maybe these kids think this is real. I’m gonna like leave them alone in this area.”
When officers arrived from nearby…
Read the full article here
