Short Documentary, Shots Fired to Premiere at Northwest Film Forum, March 23

Posted on March 20, 2017, 9:17 pm
3 mins

Slide

Washington residents won’t want to miss Shots Fired, a short documentary film that chronicles a thwarted school shooting at North Thurston High school in Lacy, Washington on April 27, 2015. Co-presented by the Seattle Documentary Association, the short makes its premiere at Northwest Film Forum this Thursday, March 23 at 7:30pm.

The attempted shooting went down early on a Monday morning, before classes had started and when kids were still filing into school. When students heard the first gunshot, most couldn’t even register what they were hearing as the sound of a deadly weapon. They thought it was firecrackers or a popping balloon. Contrast that with a security guard who says, “Immediately, I knew it was a gunshot.” The film takes us through those first chaotic moments after the gun went off and the heroic takedown of the gunman. More than that, we get an inside look at the flurry of first responders and the coordinated effort of law enforcement and school officials.

So often we’re bombarded with the number of casualties and carnage after an event such as this. What happened at North Thurston was frightening and sad, but it could have been a whole lot worse. Shots Fired offers a unique glimpse of both the event and the aftermath of a well-handled crisis. Plus, it offers lessons on how we can handle these situations even better in the future. From NWFF:

“As a parent whose daughter attended the school at the time of the shooting and as the State Point of Contact for FirstNet in Washington, I recognize the critical importance of communications between the public and responders,” said Governor Jay Inslee’s State Point of Contact appointee, Shelley Westall. “Shots Fired is a filmic case study of what worked well and what could have worked better from a communications technology standpoint in dealing with a critical incident. OneNet is committed to improving the public’s understanding of the technology challenges that responders face. Shots Fired will help elevate that conversation.”

Visit the film’s official website for more information on the filmmakers and those featured in the film.


Shots Fired 

When: Thursday, March 23, 7:30pm

Where: Northwest Film Forum (1515 12th Ave)

Tickets are available online at NWFF

Molly Laich is a writer and media fan. You can find her at mollylaich.com and doghatesfilm.com and on twitter @MollyL