Highlights
- Northern Arizona University hosted its first large-scale active shooter drill in several years on Friday, Aug. 7.
- The exercise involved EMS, local and state first responders, and city and county officials responding to a mock mass shooting.
- NAU Police Chief Missy Freshour cited last fall's swatting call at the university library as context for ongoing dispatcher training.
- Students are advised to call 911, find shelter, and use the NAU Safe app if an active shooting occurs on campus.
Northern Arizona University ran its first large-scale active shooter training exercise in several years Friday morning, with police cars filling campus streets as officers rushed an old dormitory and ambulances staged nearby, Arizona's Family reported. The drill, held weeks before students return for fall semester, was corroborated by Signals AZ, 12News, and a City of Flagstaff public notice.
The exercise involved EMS, local and state first responders, and city and county officials. Collin Seay, deputy chief of patrol for the Flagstaff Police Department, said it was the first time in several years the university had run through the full scope of an incident response. "It's been several years since we've done the entire experience from the incident happening to the actual rescuing of individuals involved," Seay said. He added that the training reflects a coordinated commitment to public safety across multiple agencies.
NAU Chief of Police Missy Freshour pointed to last fall's swatting call, which triggered an evacuation of the university's library, as a real-world test of dispatcher readiness. "When our dispatcher took that call that day we still have to do our diligence and make sure everything is safe, but there were some identifiers she learned from training that allowed us to respond in a way that was safe for everyone," Freshour said.
Freshour said students who find themselves in an active shooting situation should call 911, find a safe place to hide, and can stay informed through the NAU Safe app.
Fall semester at Arizona universities begins in the coming weeks.
Sources
Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.
- AZ Family (3TV/CBS5) retrieved 07/08/2026 23:45
Authored by The Scottsdale Signal. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 07/08/2026 23:45. Every claim traces to a source.
