ORLANDO, Fla. – Following the mass shooting at a Colorado Springs gay bar, investigators said several people took the shooter down. This effort is credited for saving multiple lives.
Self-defense instructor Tyler Zollinger said that after a mass shooting, it’s common for people to ask themselves how the may have reacted.
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“You never know when someone might be attacking. You might not know who that person might be,” Zollinger said. “Most people go through a fight-or-flight situation and freeze. They were able to go into a fight situation and be able to take out the shooter and because of that it actually saved people’s lives. I truly believe that.”
Zollinger said several years ago after several high profile violent incidents, he wanted to able to defend himself in an emergency. He took that passion and turned it into a career, teaching others how to defend themselves.
“Their whole intent is to kill. They are not there to be talked to. You need to be able to move into action,” Zollinger said.
Being able to stand up to an attacker is the reason Seth Segura said he signed up for Zollinger’s class.
“Knowing that you’ve got this tool and these skills in your back pocket, it really does work, and it really goes manifest itself in your daily life,” Segura said.
Zollinger said he hopes his students won’t need to use what they’ve learned in real life, but they will be better prepared if they do.
“It’s okay to be fearful, but we don’t have to live in fear, we can be able to move forward in our lives,” Zollinger said.
Experts also say the louder a victim is during an attack, the more the assailant will be distracted.
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