When students in a classroom at Oxford High School outside of Detroit heard a voice at their barricaded door telling them the situation was clear by a person claiming to be from the Sheriff’s office their instincts kicked in and they refused to open the door.
Editor’s note: On Wednesday, the Sheriff’s Office said the voice on the other side of the door could have been a plain clothes deputy talking in a way to better connect with the students.
It turned out, the students believed the voice was that of the shooter who was at the door, trying to get in to kill more victims.
“Sheriff’s office, its safe to come out,” the voice screamed through the barricaded door.”
While some students believed the voice, others had an uneasy feeling about it.
“We’re not willing to take that risk right now,” one student replied.
“I can’t hear you,” the voice replied. “Well come to the door with my badge, bro.”
That’s the signal students needed to realize they were the shooter’s next intended targets. The students felt that a sheriff’s officer would not call the kids ‘bro’, so they decided to exit the room through a rear window.
The students, realizing the red flag exited the building through the rear window and ran to safety to a nearby police officer on the opposite end of the courtyard.