Santa Rosa shooting — our student report from the JC campus 

By Jacquelyn Torres, SRJC sophomore

Tuesday, October 22: another normal morning at the Santa Rosa Junior College – or so students thought. But soon came the notices urging students to rush into the silent confinements of safety – time for lockdown. 

The notices unfolded at 9:17 am when the SRJC Alert detailed the current commotion of an armed individual reportedly located South of the campus at the near Santa Rosa High School.

An update announced that one male had been shot, and hospitalized. Two suspects were apprehended while classes at SRJC were resumed. Fortunately, swarms of brave police officers made their way onto campus as soon as the shooting was reported. 

Regular commuting students, as well as their athletic counterparts, feared for their lives. A current student, who requested to remain anonymous, gave an account of her experience while in lockdown: “I got a heavy feeling in my chest and it got very quiet.” She continued by adding, “S*** was scary because it keeps getting silent every time my professor hears a sound.” 

The eerie nature of silence has been reported by other students, including a student swimmer who explained how practice was concluded early so they could seek refuge in the locker room. 

The tension in the air was heavy. A glimpse inside the locked classrooms would reveal students, some crying, others fighting the tears, texting loved ones, keeping up with the slow developments of the news, and hoping that they aren’t next. 

SRJC, Santa Rosa High School, and all American students never signed up to be part of these shooting threats when agreeing to attend school, bringing up the question of whether we have done enough to prevent these catastrophic incidents. 

As sad as it is, a JC student stated, “The thing is, this happens every day.” 

As a current SRJC student I wonder whether this is what we students have to fear, instead of focusing on the material being taught; is this what we students have to fear every single day we walk on campus? 

A couple of SRJC students have shockingly revealed how the lockdowns only involved the locking of doors: the lights were not turned off, desks were not pushed against the doors, and they were not asked to move away from the walls. Perhaps SRJC should start adapting more effective lockdown procedures, as these young adults are being put at risk. 

Jacquelyn Torres is a 2019 graduate of Sonoma Valley High School.