THOMASVILLE — If someone cannot escape from or hide from an active shooter, the individual will die.

So said a Thomasville Police Department officer in a presentation to Times-Enterprise employees Tuesday morning — 12 days after a man disgruntled with the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland, entered the newspaper office and killed five and injured two in an active shooter event.

Police Maj. Wade Glover asked employees not only about their knowledge of newspaper exits, but exits at other buildings frequented by the public.

“Take it seriously,” Glover said. “It can happen in Thomasville.”

Newspaper employees listened to the harrowing 911 call from a teacher at Columbine High School Colorado, in 1999, as two students terrorized the school and shot and killed 21 students, a teacher and injured 21 others.

The Columbine event changed the way law enforcement responds to active shooter events, Glover said. Pointing out that the Columbine episode lasted four hours, officers now realize that setting up perimeters and calling for backup does not work when people are dying.

The No. 1 priority by police is to stop the killing, stop the dying and to evacuate the danger area, officers said.

Today, law enforcement, with an average response time of three minutes, enters the crime scene. Officers enter an active shooter scene when people are dying, officers said.

Police Sgt. Dominic Ford said that in such an event, targets’ heartbeats increase to the point that mental abilities might lessen and even a mental blackout could occur.

There were 160 active shooter incidents in the U.S. between 2002-13.

“Active shooters intend to kill,” Glover said. “They’re not here to talk to you. They’re here to kill you.”

Officers told Times-Enterprise employees to know building exit points, call 911, consider secondary exits and to barricades themselves against the shooter.

Officers said that in 55 percent of active shooter cases, the shooter has a connection to victims. In 45 percent, there is no connection.

Glover said active shooters give up and are taken into custody, kill themselves or are killed by law enforcement officers.