Panic was sent through our bodies when we first heard there was an active shooter at an elementary school in Georgia, and we immediately began hoping that nobody would be hurt.
Nobody was hurt.
A lot of that is thanks to quick thinking teachers who evacuated the building, and fast responding cops. Most of the thanks, though, goes to Antoinette Tuff — because she contained the shooter and talked him out of hurting a single person, even though he was bent on being killed by the police sent to stop him.
She was one of the first to make a call to 911 when she heard gunshots outside, as 20 year-old Brandon Hill entered the building. Quickly, though, she told the 911 respondent ├óΓé¼┼ôI have to go├óΓé¼┬¥ — but still stayed on the phone as she spoke and confronted Brandon.
What she did next was heroic beyond words — she was able to calm the shooter down by talking and listening to him, and asking the police not to harm him. She even spoke about her own personal problems, and told him flat-out that even though she didn’t know him, she loved him.
Here’s part of what was said, 10 minutes into the call:
‘It├óΓé¼Γäós going to be OK. I love you though, OK? And I├óΓé¼Γäóm proud of you. It├óΓé¼Γäós a good thing that you├óΓé¼Γäóre just giving up and don├óΓé¼Γäót worry about it. We all go through something in life├óΓé¼┬ª[listening] No you don├óΓé¼Γäót want that, you├óΓé¼Γäóre going to be OK├óΓé¼┬ª[listening] I thought the same thing. You know I tried to commit suicide last year after my husband left me, but look at me now. I├óΓé¼Γäóm still working and everything is OK├óΓé¼┬ª[listening]
Your name is Michael what? Michael Hill?├óΓé¼┬ª[listening] Oh the drums? ├óΓé¼┬ª So you came with the kids who played the drums? ├óΓé¼┬ª[listening] Oh how awesome! So that means I├óΓé¼Γäóve seen you before then! Y├óΓé¼Γäóall play them drums and stuff real good! ├óΓé¼┬ª’
Then, she said to 911:
OK so he said they can come on in now and he needs to go to the hospital. And he doesn├óΓé¼Γäót have any weapons on him or anything like that. He├óΓé¼Γäós laying on the floor and he doesn├óΓé¼Γäót have any weapons and he├óΓé¼Γäós got everything out of his pocket and everything he has is on his belt and everything is sitting here on the counter├óΓé¼┬ª I├óΓé¼Γäóm going to buzz them [the police] in so they can come and take him to the hospital├óΓé¼┬ª’
And they did just that, and as soon as he was gone, Antoinette began to break down, the fear being able to seep back in! She was told that she did ‘great,’ and we think that’s the understatement of the year!
Holy SHIZZ! We would hope we could do something like that if something were to ever come up — but we don’t know! Antoinette is one SPECIAL person, and because of her things did not get any worse from the beginning!
Nothing floors us more than to realize that the perfect person for that situation was the one who was actually there! People like her make us feel amazing about this world!
Listen to the entire 911 call (below).
[Image via WSBTV.]