UPDATE: Navicent Health Police Chief believes talking can diffuse crisis situations

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Navicent Health’s Police Chief said patience and communication skills helped one of his officer talk a man into handing over a gun last week. 41NBC’s Alexa Rodriguez talked with Chief Quentin Jude about his officer’s crisis situation training.

“We’ve had people with guns before,” recalled Chief Jude.

It’s a situation the Navicent Health Police Department is familiar with. 

“We usually are able to use proactive measures and get that situation under control,” explained Chief Jude.

Navicent Health Police Officers and Bibb County Sheriff’s Deputies were at the Medical Center, Navicent Health last Wednesday because a man was outside with a gun.

“He wasn’t aggressive. He was sitting there calmly. He did have the gun in his hand,” said Chief Jude.

A Navicent Health Police Officer talked 24-year-old Victor Tran into handing the gun over. No shots were fired. No one was injured.

“He was kind of asking him, you know, why are you here? What are you doing? What can I do to help you? Those kinds of things,” explained Chief Jude.

Basic questioning skills Chief Jude said every single one of his officers knows.

“They’re trained on crisis intervention, verbal judo. An experienced police officer over a period of time, you have interactions with people all the time where you have to use these types of skills and you build on those,” said Chief Jude.

The officer who talked to Tran is a supervisor and has been with the Navicent Health Police Department for about 16 years. Chief Jude explained all of his officer review their training every year, sometimes two or three times.

“Looking at body language and you respond on the different types of body language that occurs. It tells you how to deescalate a situation. What wording to use, what wording not to use,” explained Chief Jude as he described the verbal judo training his officers receive.

“You can get control of that situation without anyone getting injured, without anyone getting harmed. If it takes you an extra five or ten minutes or an hour and a half to get the situation under control, you’d rather do that then the alternative,” said Chief Jude.

Tran was arrested Thursday for carrying a concealed firearm in an unauthorized location/hospital, according to the Bibb County Sheriff’s Office. He bonded out of jail last week. The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office said Tran can still own a gun, unless he’s found guilty and convicted of his charge. 

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A 24-year-old man, who brought a gun to the Medical Center, Navicent Health, was arrested Thursday. 

Victor Tran is charged with carrying a concealed firearm into an unauthorized location, which includes a hospital. His bond is set at $2,125. 

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MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Bibb County Sheriff’s Office says a man who appeared to be emotionally distraught had a gun at the Medical Center, Navicent Health Wednesday evening. He is being treated at the hospital.

Deputies say their active-shooter training two weeks ago helped them to successfully talk the man into handing over his pistol before anyone was hurt.

“The training is wonderful. It helps in situations like this because we did have a response. We knew what to do. We knew how to respond, and who needed to be on scene,” says Deputy Clay Williams. 

No arrests have been made at this time.