Active shooter drill scares Panhandle workers

FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla — Florida's Department of Health is investigating what went wrong with an office shooting drill in a Panhandle county health department.

The Northwest Florida Daily News reported Sunday that most Okaloosa County Health Department employees did not realize they were part of a drill when a police officer entered their office to simulate an active shooting in early March.

The department's director and one other employee were the only people in the department who knew a drill was underway.

Some employees called 911 for help and others fled the building in fear for their lives.

The county's public safety director told the newspaper that the exercise helped the agency to be better prepared for an actual shooting.

WFTV