Businesses React to Lack of Notification of SSU Shooting

Savannah State students returned to classes Monday after they were cancelled Friday afternoon and Saturday due to a shooting on campus. As business and traffic returned to normal - some people who work nearby were questioning why they weren't alerted to what was going on Friday.

Here's the breakdown of what happened:
· At 11:42 - campus police were called about the shooting at the University commons housing complex.
· By noon-- the University had alerted students and employees by email and voice message.
· At approximately 3:15, more than three hours later, our newsroom was notified about a press conference to be held by SSU at 3:30. It was at that press conference that we received the first official details of the shooting.

Up until that time - we, along with members of the community, had been getting unconfirmed reports about what took place...much of which turned out to be inaccurate. On Monday, I spoke with people who work nearby to find out what they were told and when.

Not a single person I spoke with says they were notified by authorities that a shooting had taken place and that the shooter was still on the loose. This, despite the fact that at that a 3:30 press conference – SSU Police Chief Thomas Trawick acknowledged the shooter was not in custody and that authorities were still trying to ascertain his whereabouts.

No description was given either - despite Trawick's statement that they had a pretty good idea who they were looking for within minutes of the shooting, thanks to witness statements. A number of businesses operate within yards of campus, including a daycare. When Chief Trawick was asked if those business had been notified of the situtation - this is what he had to say:

"We in fact - put out notification by every means that we could, by of course using the media and using the measures on campus - so it is my belief that people were notified but I cannot confirm that."

As it turns out - they were not. Most people I spoke with Monday said they first heard about it on the news or phone calls from others who saw it on the news. As already stated - the news media wasn't given any official information about what had occurred until approximately four hours after the shooting...it was approximately five hours after the shooting that the suspect was taken into custody.

Several calls today to the Savannah State Communications Director Loretta Heyward regarding the handling of this situation were not returned.