FRISCO, Texas — Ernie Williams has 24 years of military experience which includes a stint with the SEALs.
He also spent nearly two decades in counter-terrorism, which has prepared him for his next big project -- a technology called Go-to-Green.
Williams tells WFAA that the technology has the potential to save lives in the event of a mass shooting.
"What we're trying to do is show a pathway to safety immediately," said Williams.
There are acoustic sensors set up to detect the sound of gunfire and cameras to capture the movement of the shooter. Depending on the proximity of the gunfire a directional lighting system is set up around the sensors indicating safe and unsafe places to go.
"The lights away from [the shooter] will light a pathway to safety. They will be flashing green," he said.
The sensors closest to the gunfire will have lights that show red and blue which is an indicator to first responders on the active threat. Then, there are red and green lights for innocent bystanders drawing them away from the gunfire and telling them where and where not to exit the area.
It is something Williams and engineers have been working on for months. They are set up on the inside of Collin Creek Mall in Plano which is mostly an empty shell because of major renovations.
But the building does allow for Williams and his team to space out sensors similar to the layout of a school or office building.
"So to me the important thing is give people a direction. Give them a chance. Right now the bad guys are betting that you don't have a chance," he said.
Go-to-Green also comes with an operations center fit with monitors to visualize the lights and the movements of the shooter along the mapping of the property.
Williams tells WFAA the ops center will be manned by someone trained and says in the case of multiple shooters, it may require manual tracking of the subjects.
"It takes seven minutes for a first responder to get there. It takes about ten seconds to clear a 30-round magazine," he told WFAA.
Several churches in Florida have the Go-to-Green technology. Anna City Hall is having one installed and two North Texas school districts are seriously considering it.