On March 11, 2017, Pump It Up in Mobile, Alabama, had a typical birthday party for kids when chaos erupted. A gunshot was fired—there were two shooters.
I spoke to Savannah Fant, a 20-year-old student at South Alabama who started working at Pump it Up in Mobile 7 months ago.
Fant, pictured second to the left, with three of her other coworkers at Pump It Up in Mobile, Alabama
“I saw my manager and another employee running down the hallway trying to get everyone out, and I asked what was going on while they were running,” Fant said, recalling the incident. “One of the other employees just held up her hand into a gun.”
According to Fant, the shooters were two parents of kids that were at one of the birthday parties. They had a fight that escalated into a shooting. Police found at least 5 shell casings outside.
Once Fant realized that there were two shooters at Pump it Up, she ran back to her party to try to keep everyone calm and safe. “I immediately went back to my room, shut the doors, and got all of my party, which was like 30 plus people, to get under the tables,” she said. “I had two big men hold both doors shut the whole time, and then finally, one of my other coworkers told me that it was safe to come out.”
Fant says she is thankful for the drills that her high school in Trussville, Alabama, made her do years ago to prepare for a shooter. “While there was not a shooter inside, I felt I managed the situation as best I could based solely the drills we did in high school.”
Although there was a bullet hole through a glass window and in the employee breakroom, Fant said that no one was hurt.
According to Fant, a store next to Pump It Up had video footage of the shooter’s license plate number. This, along with the information they provided in their kids’ waivers at Pump It Up, helped police find and arrest the two shooters.
“I’m so thankful that my party was understanding and extremely nice after everything was over,” Fant said. The parties that were scheduled that night were refunded, but Pump It Up finished the night instead of canceling any parties.