The city of Raleigh needs an alert system to warn residents of active shooters and other threats.
That's the message Robert Steele delivered to the city council this week. His fiancé, Mary Marshall, was one of five people killed in last month's mass shooting, carried out by a 15-year-old shooter on October 13.
During the public comment period of the city council meeting, he said that alert from the city could have saved Marshall's life.
"She could have hid off the trail, she could have run. Instead, she died. And the blame for that is partly on you,” he said. “I am calling here and now for your immediate resignations. And I have them here ready for you to sign."
Steele told the council it would be easy to implement a warning system for active shooters and other criminal activity. Audience members applauded after Steele spoke.
"Our hearts are with you, and we're terribly sorry for what happened," Baldwin responded.
Raleigh Police received their first 9-1-1 call about the shooting at 5:09 p.m. Steele says he spoke to Mary Marshall at 5-13. She was found dead a few minutes later. A push alert on her phone, he says, could have saved the lives of her and the other victims.
"This one thing I lay directly at the feet of the City of Raleigh, and Wake County, there is no emergency alert system for ongoing violent crimes in our city," he said.
The Raleigh Police Department posted multiple times about the shooting on its social media accounts. The city says it's reviewing its emergency communications strategy.
