Security expert explains how to disarm a shooter

A scary situation just like this, KAYLEIGH. Well, Andrew Shannon, in this live stream video you can see a man serving as a deacon and a cameraman pounce on the suspect, attacking him and eventually gaining control of the gun. TONIGHT a security expert tells me how to disarm a shooter and how churches can be proactive when critical. Incident involving a shooter, in this case the suspect, Bernard Höflich. There are signs to look out for. THIS SAYS SAM ROSENBERG, CEO OF LIVE READY, A PERSONAL SAFETY TRAINING COMPANY. Violence is a process as observable and predictable as boiling water. IF YOU KNOW WHAT TO WATCH FOR IN AN OPEN ENVIRONMENT LIKE A CHURCH, HE SUGGESTS CONGREGANTS HAVE VOLUNTEERS COME FOR SAFETY. Agents trained to identify a potential threat and act quickly to mitigate that threat. What I usually recommend is to have one of these security volunteers position themselves close enough to them so that when they are in the church, there is someone within reach who can actually respond. In this particular case, obviously the hero who jumped over the pew to get to him and attack him in many ways saved the day, you know, whether the gun was fired or not. This guy was on point and did an absolutely phenomenal job. According to Rosenberg, the most urgent task is to point the weapon away from the target and get it out of the hands of a dangerous person. He showed me how to do it. Okay, so go ahead with both hands. PUSH THE BARREL OF THE GUN UP AND AWAY FROM YOU AND THEN CATCH IT. Throw it towards the shooter. PUSH IN TO FORCE IT TO RELEASE. THEN WITHDRAW. The problem is that most people truly believe that they are helpless when a gun enters a situation, but that is not the case right now. If you’re just looking at it mechanically, then move on as soon as you pick up the gun. When you reach for it, you stop the weapon’s action. So it could be that the gun goes off once. But now we’re fighting over a bat, not a gun, because it’s jammed. Okay, does that make sense? It is that the free movement of this slide has been denied. So if you crank that up against me and effectively push the secondary of the takeaway, you’ll end the whole fight if you just get number one position. AND ROSENBERG TELLS ME THERE ARE SEVERAL ELEMENTS OF PERSONAL SAFETY TRAINING THAT APPLY TO WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SUSPECT HERE IN THIS CHURCH. FOR MORE DETAILS, JUST CLICK ON THIS STORY IN OUR WTAE APP.

A local security expert explains how to disarm a shooter during a critical incident

Updated: May 6, 2024, 6:01 p.m. EDT

Police continue to investigate an incident in North Braddock involving suspect Bernard Polite, who is accused of attempting to shoot a pastor during a church service on Sunday. Sam Rosenberg is the CEO of Live Ready, a local personal safety training company. He walked Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 through what to do in a critical incident involving a shooter. “Violence is a process that is as observable and predictable as boiling water if you know what to look for,” Rosenberg said. In an open environment like a church, he suggests that communities have volunteer security guards. These are parishioners who are trained to recognize a possible threat and act quickly to contain the threat. Church, there is someone within reach who can actually respond. In this particular case, obviously the hero who jumped over the pew to get to him and attacked him saved the day in a lot of ways, you know? “Whether the gun was fired or not, this guy was on the right track and he did an absolutely phenomenal job,” Rosenberg said. Rosenberg said the most urgent task is to point the weapon away from the target and get it out of the hands of a dangerous person. He said with both hands: Push the barrel of the gun up and away from you. Then grab it, turn it toward the shooter, push toward him to force him to let go, and then pull back. “The problem is that most people really believe that they are helpless when a gun comes into a situation, but that’s not the case,” Rosenberg said. Rosenberg offers training programs and resources for individuals, companies and large groups.

WEXFORD, Pa. –

Police continue to investigate an incident in North Braddock involving suspect Bernard Polite, who is accused of attempting to shoot a priest during a church service on Sunday.

Sam Rosenberg is the CEO of Live Ready, a local personal safety training company. He walked Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 through what to do in a critical incident involving a shooter.

“Violence is a process that is as observable and predictable as boiling water if you know what to look for,” Rosenberg said.

In an open environment like a church, he suggests that communities employ volunteer security guards. These are community members who are trained to recognize a potential threat and act quickly to mitigate the threat.

“What I usually recommend is that you have one of these security volunteers stationed close enough to you so that when they’re in the church, there’s someone within reach who can actually respond. In this particular case, obviously the hero who jumped over the pew to get to him and attacked him saved the day in a lot of ways, you know? Whether the gun was fired or not, this guy had it right and did an absolutely phenomenal job,” Rosenberg said.

Rosenberg said the most urgent task is to point the weapon away from the target and get it out of the hands of a dangerous person. He said with both hands: Push the barrel of the gun up and away from you. Then grab it, turn it toward the shooter, push toward him to force him to let go, and then pull back.

“The problem is that most people really believe that they are helpless when a gun comes into a situation, but that is not the case,” Rosenberg said.

Rosenberg offers training programs and resources for individuals, companies and large groups.