Atlanta school shooting Antoinette Tuff - she is one tough lady

[malaise]

Congrats - thank you for saving everyone in that Atlanta school and the first responders.
Suspect had not only his AK47 but 500 rounds of ammo. Antoinette Tuff was the school bookkeeper.
<snip>
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/08/21/214085753/school-clerk-in-georgia-persuaded-gunman-to-lay-down-weapons

Tuesday's — in which a gunman with an assault rifle and other weapons entered the building — ended with no one being hurt after a school clerk apparently spent about an hour talking to the young man. She says she persuaded him to put down his gun and surrender.

"I just started praying for him," Antoinette Tuff . "I just started talking to him ... and let him know what was going on with me and that it would be OK. And then let him know that he could just give himself up. ... I told him to put [the guns] on the table, empty his pockets. He had me actually get on the intercom and tell everybody he was sorry, too. But I told them, 'He was sorry, but do not come out of their rooms.' ... I give it all to God, I'm not the hero. I was terrified."

In , Tuff says "[I saw] a young man ready to kill anybody that he could and take any lives he wanted to." According to ABC:

"The school clerk said she tried to keep the assailant calm by asking him his name but, she said, at first he wouldn't tell it to her. Then, he began listening to her tell her life story. She said she told him about how her marriage fell apart after 33 years and the 'roller coaster' of opening her own business."

Tuff says she told 20-year-old Michael Brandon Hill that "OK, we all have situations in our lives. I went through a tragedy myself."

------------------------
A black woman's life story is enough to stop any gunman in his tracks.
The gunman, Michael Brandon Hill, is mentally ill and said he had not taken his meds.

[ljm2002]

1. What a gal!

If ever anyone deserved accolades, she does. She saved lives, of that there can be no doubt. And she did it without any weapon of her own other than her own common sense and raw courage. Being able to look down the barrel of a gun and not flinch, being able to see the human being on the other side of that gun, being able to reason with him rather than cower, keeping him in the office and therefore keeping herself in danger, because she knew if he left the office he'd be shooting at the children... well I'd like to think I could be that brave, but I hope it's never put to the test. What she did is the textbook definition of heroism.

[malaise]

2. That's it right there - common sense and raw courage

She is one brave woman. Looks like we need more Antoinette's than we need armed guards in our schools.
She sure saved lives yesterday.

[malaise]

3. Video

[monmouth3]

14. I hope they put her on the cover of TIME. She's a real hero...n/t

[Pretzel_Warrior]

4. It's too bad she didn't have a gun. She could have wasted him right on the spot like a badass

Instead she used intellect to reason with the young man and diffuse the situation.

[malaise]

5. She proved that there is always an alternative to

shooting

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. Tom and I both said, she missed her calling, as a negotiator

[malaise]

7. For real- some people have amazing people skills

I hope her business succeeds

[malaise]

8. Joy Reid is covering this and the shooting of the Australian

baseball player by those thugs.

[rl6214]

18. Now now, you don't want to be using the T word

There are some one here in the gun control group that say is is a racist dog whistle term

[malaise]

20. Like ReTHUG

[rl6214]

22. Nah, that's a dirty R word.

[Le Taz Hot]

9. Holy cow!

What an AMAZING woman. Everyone needs to watch this video. And I'm going to be PISSED if someone or a whole lotta someones don't give her seed money for her business.

[malaise]

17. You have to see the ABC coverage tonight

That tape is something else

[Le Taz Hot]

23. No tv service.

Maybe it will be up on Youtube.

[malaise]

25. Here's the link

http://abcnews.go.com/US/georgia-school-shooting-suspect-500-rounds-ammunition-police/story?id=20020262
Tonight's news isn't up yet

[Le Taz Hot]

30. Well, thank you!

[Marrah_G]

10. That is a very brave and very smart woman.

[Are_grits_groceries]

11. When events like this happen,

I am always reminded of a quote from "Death Of A Salesman."
Linda Loman says:

I don't say he's a great man. Willie Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He's not the finest character that ever lived.
But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him.
So attention must be paid. He's not to be allowed to fall in his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must finally be paid to such a person.

Many people are lost, hopeless and going through any number of crises. It behooves us to listen if nothing else. Like Willie Loman, they are human beings who deserve a shred of dignity.

If attention is not paid, many will continue to suffer tremendously and a very few such as this gunman will demand that attention in some awful way.
Mrs.Tuff paid some real attention to HIM. Even with a gun on her, she treated him like a human being.

Attention must be paid! It is the least we can do, and the first step to becoming a more compassionate country.

[malaise]

15. It' the ABC lead story tonight

Wow!

Death of a Salesman is one of my favorite Miller worls.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

12. Not only that, she probably saved the life of the gunman as well.

Had he gone on to shoot up the school, he either would have been shot by police or committed suicide (as many mass shooters do after their acts), or would have been caught and either sentenced to death or life in prison.

Since he didn't actually kill or injure anyone (although he did actually fire shots at police), he'll do some significant prison time but it's possible he'll be released. And hopefully at some point in his life he'll have a chance to rebuild his life.

[malaise]

19. Good point but I doubt he'll receive the necessary mental health treatment

in prison

[KamaAina]

13. If only she'd been armed

[malaise]

39. Tamron Hall about to play some new tape and discuss

this brave woman.

[rl6214]

16. An amazing woman.

[AverageJoe90]

21. Truly, her surname is quite fitting.

Many kudos to Mrs. Tuff for helping save lives.

[malaise]

26. Indeed

[Rowdyboy]

24. A class act and a genuine hero...

[malaise]

27. For real

Rush Beck won't mention her - it will mess up the meme

[JI7]

28. so did she go out and buy a bunch of guns to make her feel safer next time ?

does she think she should be allowed to have a gun in her classroom ?

[malaise]

29. Looks like she messed up the NRA suggestion

Looks like no shooting actually worked.

[yellowwoodII]

31. Applause, Applause!

This story should have had many recommends.

[malaise]

36. Wow Morning Joe Scum begins with Antoinette Tuff

Clearly Joe Scum is on vacation

[derby378]

32. Any chance we can clone Antoinette?

Anyone brave enough to talk down a gunman at school probably ain't scared of nothin'. She richly deserves our nation's respect and appreciation.

[malaise]

35. She was great

That tape on CNN - damn!

[Paladin]

44. Not quick enough to keep up with all the well-armed lunatics showing up at schools. (nt)

[JI7]

33. watching and listening to this now on Piers morgan , i wonder if she is scared

sounds like she feels empathy and compassion more than fear.

[malaise]

34. Yep although she said she was afraid

I asked hubby last night what he thought the reaction would have been from the Rush Beck O'liellys and the bleached blondes on Fox.

[uponit7771]

37. She saved so many people by just being a decent human being and relating to the shooter...

...such a hero.

[malaise]

38. And at the same time she

fugged up the NRA meme about having more guns in the schools.

[hfojvt]

41. I notice what else she did

that usually draws a lot of scorn and derision on DU.

""I just started praying for him," Antoinette Tuff tells Atlanta's channel 2"

[malaise]

42. I'm an atheist - that said

I think her empathy and her sharing her problems with him talked him down, but if she believes its her prayers that work, who am I to challenge her.

[hfojvt]

40. you know what can stop a gunman in his tracks?

If an attractive woman starts talking to him.

She looks too young to have been married 33 years, unless she is starting the 33 years from her 13th birthday (when she apparently started dating the guy she married). Still, she looks more like 36 than 46.

[malaise]

43. She really is attractive and clearly younger than the length of her marriage suggests

but I'm betting there were other factors

M$NBComcast is playing the full tape right now