Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker threw a chair at a gunman who was holding himself and three others hostage over the weekend at a Synagogue in Texas. That’s how the 3 remaining hostages, 1 being released earlier, were able to run out a side door of the building after a 12-hour ordeal.
The Rabbi shared the details, along with many others, on an interview with CBS News. He says the suspect came knocking on a window and he let him in, thinking he needed shelter. The Rabbi made him some tea and stayed with him, not sensing anything off about the man.
It wasn’t until they were praying that the suspect showed his true colors, when the Rabbi’s back was turned. He heard a click, which turned out to be the suspect’s gun.
An interviewer asked the Rabbi, “I’ve heard you say that the congregating had training not that long ago for a situation where someone drew a gun, and that’s what saved your life. How so?”
“For the past few years, we’ve had courses with the FBI, the Colleyville Police Department,” the Rabbi explained. “They really teach you in those moments that when your life is threatened, you need to do whatever you can to get to safety. You need to do whatever you can to get out.”
Watch the full interview below.