The break-in happened last week when Mathew Fillmore noticed a man in a Charleston City Stormwater Crew on his property. The man ended up allegedly entering Fillmore’s home, which is when he drew his gun and called police.
“Breaking and entering, I just got a man at gunpoint,” Fillmore said to the operator, according to WCSC. “I’m holding him at gunpoint. Call the police right away, send them over.”
During the call, Fillmore used strong verbal commands to let the intruder know what could happen if he moved.
“Don’t ******* move,” Fillmore shouted. “Shut the **** up, don’t say nothing! Shut the **** up. I’ll kill you! Shut the **** up. Shut up! I said shut the **** up!”
Police arrived and took John Whitaker into custody, and charged him with second degree burglary. Whitaker was a Charleston City employee at the time of the incident, employed through a program that helps former prison inmates. However, the city fired him when he was booked for the crime.
Charleston Homeowner Used Verbal Commands Effectively
Verbal commands are extremely important in a self-defense situation. In fact, strong commands can often prevent the need to pull a trigger. Some attackers might actually think that the threat of a gun could be a bluff; that the defender won’t actually fire. That’s where strong commands become so important.
Experts often train students at the range to give strong verbal commands with consequences, such as STOP or I’LL SHOOT. They do this because verbal commands help people take control of situations, and show a willingness to do what it takes to survive and win. Consider implementing this important tool into your training regimen.
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