Recommendations on reacting to an active shooting

Andy Moss, a witness says, “Once people started screaming, my first instinct was to run and just get out.”

“I fell down and I crawled out people were trying to escape out the back, I believe the fences were knocked down,” says Chris Hansen, another witness.

In Orlando, victims recount how they escaped the gunman from Sunday’s early morning shooting. While no one could have planned for what unfolded,  47 ABC  did speak to a local self-defense instructor and law enforcement for tips on reacting in that kind of situation. James Yamakawa, from Park’s Martial Art , tells us  the best thing of course is get out of there.

“If it requires you to crawl under something, crawl under something. It doesn’t matter. The point of it is to get out of there as fast as you can. As safely as you can,” says Yamakawa.

Salisbury Police Captain Rich Kaiser  agrees with Yamakawa. Kaiser also says you should not try to disarm a shooter because the gun can still go off and hurt you.

“It certainly would not be a recommended practice of the police department. But if that could be done safely that could certainly save lives.”says Captain Kaiser.

However, if you are within a few feet of a shooter, rather than trying to disarm the shooter, Yamakawa recommends a blocking or deflecting action.  Yamakawa showed 47 ABC’s Lissette Nuñez a quick blocking demo.  He says striking a shooter’s arm at angle can possibly force the gun away from your body, however this can depend on the scenario. Yamakawa also tells says that a deflection action can leave time and space for you to attack their most vulnerable body parts.

“The parts that you naturally want to cover up. We naturally want to cover up the neck, the face, the vulnerable parts of the torso. There are blood vessels there , there are nerves there, there are arteries there,” says Yamakawa.

Yamakawa tells us while  knowing self-defense could improve your situation, it does not guarantee one will not be hurt or even killed. Captain Kaiser and Yamakawa recommend  being aware of your surroundings and knowing where exits are in case of emergency.

Also  Salisbury Police officials tell us they have will continually  work with local businesses and organizations to offer them the most updated training for active-shooter scenarios.

Dislcaimer: Views expressed by James Yamakawa are his and not of Park’s Martial Arts.