Foreman’s Forum – No One Fought Back During Killing Spree In Orlando!

6-18-2016 1-11-47 PMAs I am writing this on Monday, June 13, 2016, I have already read dozens of stories about the terrorist shooting spree in Orlando which happened Sunday. I have read the interviews with survivors and witnesses. I have read about the ex-wife of the shooter who tells of the fear she had during their short marriage. Co-workers at the security guard company tell how the shooter would rant on about ISIS. I continue to read about the wounded victims who were shot multiple times, then shot again while they were lying on the floor dying. The news reports say the shooter forced five or six victims into a bathroom and held them hostage while police negotiators tried to reason with him. That hostage situation went on for three hours. One story stated, “The people fled to the bathroom to hide, but the shooter somehow got in and held them at gunpoint.”

For crying out loud! What’s wrong with this picture? NO ONE FOUGHT BACK! I cannot find one single story about anyone, not one single person, in that “club” who tried to stop the shooter. Ok, I will accept the fact that all of the reported two hundred and fifty patrons in that club were just not “Sheep Dogs.” But not even one person picked up a chair or table and tried to attack the shooter! I did see an interview on Fox News with a survivor who escaped out the back door into an alley. Once he was safe outside, he barricaded the back door to prevent the shooter from following him out into the alley. The survivor told how he could hear pounding on the door while the shooter blasted away with the gun. The Fox News host asked him, “By barricading the door, didn’t you block others from escaping?” The guy had a strange look on his face. His silence was deafening.

No one fought back. It is my personal opinion there are always plenty of weapons available. It seems there was no one in the club that knew how to improvise and find a weapon. I cannot believe there was never a moment when the shooter had his back turned to someone who could have come up and wacked him with a chair, anything.

I think some key parts of my article from last June are worth repeating.
1) Escape if you can. Get out of there. Leave all your belongings BEHIND! Help others escape if they will cooperate.
2) Once you are safe, stop others from unknowingly walking into a deadly situation.
3) Call 911 as soon as possible. If the 911 operator tells you to stay on the phone, cooperate with them.
4) If you cannot escape, try to hide out of the shooter’s view. Barricade the doors with anything heavy you can find. Get behind heavy furniture such as desks or file cabinets. If possible, keep an escape route open. Use bathrooms as a last resort because you will be pinned down. Lock the doors.
5) If none of the above will work due to time or situation, FIGHT! Attempt to disable the shooter. Get mad and defend yourself! What do you have to lose?
6) In a restroom, use toilet tank lids or toilet seats, metal trash cans, or mirrors as improvised weapons. Use fire extinguishers, chairs, lamps, broken glass from a picture frame or mirror, heavy vase, broken furniture, scissors, or a glass ash tray. Spray the bad guy with the fire extinguisher and then hit him in the face. Use hot coffee, full soda cans, hair spray, and bug spray, anything heavy. Hit him, and hit him hard. Your life depends on it.
7) If you have a gun, use it! GET TRAINED by me, or another qualified trainer.
8) If you are evacuating a crowed theater, church, or mall, get away from the center of the hallway. Get next to the wall. You do NOT want to get caught up in the rushing mob of terrified people who might not care if you get trampled. Use the wall for support if you get shoved or knocked down. Walls have windows and doors. You might find an escape route. Grab hold of small children and carry them if possible. If children are too big to carry, grab your child’s belt rather than holding onto their arm. Grab each of your family by the belt and hold on for dear life.

Paul Foreman is a Retired Deputy Sheriff from Lee County Florida. He is an NRA Certified Firearms Instructor, AHA Certified Instructor in First Aid, CPR & AED.
For firearms training, Paul can be reached through e-mail at Captureman@PaulForeman.com or his web site, www.PaulForeman.com

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