Antoinette Tuff On How God Prepared Her To Talk Georgia Gunman Down

On August 20th, 2013, a gunman came into Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy, a Georgia elementary school.  He had an AK-47, among other weapons, and a bag of ammunition. But nobody died or was even injured, because Antoinette Tuff happened to be the woman in the front office that day. She talked the gunman down from carrying out what could have been a horrifying act of gun violence in America’s history. She negotiated a peaceful, exchange between the gunman and police through a 911 dispatcher, sparing the lives of everyone involved.

Now, Toni Braxton is playing Antionette in a Lifetime movie about her bravery on that terrifying day.  Antoinette talks about how her faith prepared her to stay calm, explaining that the whole incident was an assignment from God. It also lead her to return to Atlanta and start a mentoring program in that same school system, and giving out scholarships annually on the day the city now holds in her honor. She explains how she connected with the gunman based on the pain she was recovering from, and relating to his pain. Click on the audio player to hear more in this exclusive interview from “The Rickey Smiley Morning Show.”

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