Video reportedly taken during Tuesday’s deadly shooting at a high school in Oakland County, Michigan, captures someone walking through the school’s halls urging students to come out of hiding while identifying themselves as being with the sheriff’s department.
But it was the person’s use of the word “bro” that ended up being a “red flag” to the students, prompting their quick escape through a back window, according to the video that was posted on social media and reportedly directly obtained by local station Fox 2 News from a student’s parent.
The video shows students at Oxford High School huddling together in a dimly lit classroom when a deep voice is heard calling from behind the classroom’s closed door.
“Sheriff’s office, it’s safe to come out!” the voice says.
“They said it’s safe to come out,” one student is heard whispering, prompting a “we don’t know,” from someone else huddled nearby.
“We’re not willing to take that risk right now,” a man, who appears to be a teacher in the room, responds to the voice outside the door.
“I can’t hear you,” the voice calls back.
“We’re not taking that risk right now,” the person in the classroom repeats.
“OK well, just open the door and look at my badge, bro,” the person on the other side of the door calls back.
“He said ‘bro,’ red flag,” one of the students remarks before the entire classroom dashes through an open window behind them. The video shows them crossing an open courtyard and going into another building, where a uniformed officer stands greeting them at the door.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment on the video.
Authorities have only identified Tuesday’s shooter as a 15-year-old male sophomore at the school. He surrendered without further incident and was taken to a juvenile detention facility.
The shooting’s victims have been identified as a 16-year-old boy, a 14-year-old girl and a 17-year-old girl. Eight others were also injured, including a teacher. Their injuries include gunshots to the head, neck and chest.
A 17-year-old student at the school told Fox 2 News that they have had active shooter drills in the past, which helped during this week’s violence.
“Everyone was serious,” she told the Detroit station.
Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, in a statement posted on social media, also said it is “evident from the scene that the lockdown protocols, training and equipment Oxford schools had in place saved lives.”
