"Giving someone a chance to drop their weapon isn't the same as what I do. And if I'm wrong... then that's on me, in the end. But he was never going to put that gun down because someone shouted at him that he had to or he'd be killed. He was in crisis. He wasn't thinking with his brain. He needed his emotions to tell him that it was okay to put down the gun."

Strictly speaking, what Malcolm did could be considered manipulation. He looked at the person in front of him and judged what buttons had to be pressed to make him comply. And Malcolm was good at it. It was just lucky for everyone that he came at it from a place of compassion.

"He couldn't do that if he felt threatened. He could only do it if he felt safe."