Personal accounts of the events relate the initial confusion during the incident , describing the sound of the shots as " like firecrackers " . Panic followed as people began to realize what was happening . Witnesses also describe Williams as " smiling " during the shooting . Referring to the chaos after the shooting , one parent remarked , " They just do n't have a system to handle this . " Students and faculty were evacuated to a nearby shopping center , and local businesses and churches helped to handle students and parents . Others also said that they heard him saying , weeks before the shootings , that he was " going to pull a Columbine "
Columbine
Columbine High School massacre
Santana High School