Ron Welch
Muskingum County Prosecutor
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Debrief and Lessons Learned: Muskingum County Prosecutor Ron Welch Hosts First Responders from 2018 Parkland School Shooting
(ZANESVILLE, OH)
On June 4, 2026, nearly 700 individuals from Zanesville and surrounding communities gathered at Secrest Auditorium to hear a firsthand debrief of the 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
The event, Debrief and Lessons Learned – Marjory Stoneman Douglas Active Shooter, hosted by the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office, featured Coral Springs Police Chief Brad Mock and Bradley McKeone, Deputy City Manager of Coral Springs, Florida. Both speakers responded to the tragedy firsthand and facilitated an interdisciplinary discussion examining what went right, what mistakes were made, and how agencies have adapted their procedures and response strategies in the years since the shooting.
The nearly five-hour presentation explored the events leading up to the shooting, the response as it unfolded, and the long-term aftermath. Significant attention was given to warning signs exhibited by the shooter, interagency response efforts, and the lasting mental health impacts experienced by survivors, first responders, and community members.
Through video footage from the shooter’s phone, responding officers, and school security cameras, the speakers reinforced a recurring message: the tragedy was preventable. Rather than assigning blame, they focused on identifying opportunities where systems, communication, and resources could have been strengthened, highlighting lessons learned and changes implemented in response to the event.
The Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office intentionally brought together professionals from across disciplines in hopes of fostering meaningful conversations about preparedness, prevention, and response within our own community. Muskingum County is not immune to these challenges and has experienced its own school threats and acts of violence.
Attendees included educators, law enforcement officers, mental health professionals, and legal professionals from across Ohio.
The event was prompted by Felony Investigator Bethany Hayes, who attended a shortened version of the presentation at a 2025 training conference. Having personally responded to similar incidents in Muskingum County, Hayes recognized the value of bringing this training to our area.
“The overwhelming attendance demonstrated our community’s commitment to learning, collaboration, and prevention,” said Prosecutor Welch. “I want to thank members of my office for their help in presenting such an important event.”
Thank you to Chief Comstock and the Zanesville Police Department and Sheriff Matt Lutz and the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office for their contributions to the training. Further thanks are owed to the Muskingum Valley Educational Service Center for partnering to provide contact hours for educators and Donald’s Donuts for generously discounting donuts for the event.
The success of this event reflects what can be accomplished when a community comes together with a shared commitment to protecting its schools, supporting its first responders, and learning from the experiences of others.
“Members of the community can help prevent tragedies like this as well by reporting any threats,” added Welch. “Local law enforcement, the Prosecutor’s Office, and the courts take any threat very seriously and do everything possible to make certain our children are safe.”
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