The Most Popular Workplace Mass Shooting Training Video Was Filmed in Houston
Debris
The Most Popular Workplace Mass Shooting Training Video Was Filmed in Houston
Jan 22, 2026 4:59PM
Did you know that there’s a workplace training video that companies show their new hires about how to use a fire extinguisher to take down a mass-murdering psychopath? It has the same monotone narration as any other corporate training video, except there’s also murder. Also, it was filmed in Houston and stars a terrifying bald Houstonian as the insane killer. Go ‘Stros!
As you can see above, the video starts off with a bald white man in knockoff Oakley sunglasses walking into an unmarked office building in Houston carrying a black duffel bag. He pulls a gun out of the bag and starts indiscriminately gunning down his co-workers. It’s a terrifying scene, and in 2026 it sounds like it could be a real event. But actually it’s the graphic safety video called “Run Hide Fight!” from the city of Houston’s Office of Public Safety and Homeland Security and local production company Gilbreath Communications.
With more than 6 million views, it’s the most popular City of Houston-produced online video of all time and also the most widely used corporate training video in the United States for how to deal with an active shooter in your office. Huge companies like Amazon use it to train warehouse employees, and ya know, it’s hard to argue that there’s nothing quite like watching an active shooter rampage through the Houston Permitting Center to make a dozen blue collar workers feel more comfortable lifting boxes together for minimum wage.
The realistic video, which features local acting talent and Department of Homeland Security-approved techniques to deal with an evil killer like running, hiding, and fighting, attempts to educate viewers with informational nuggets like “Encourage others to leave with you but don’t let others slow you down with indecision” and “Act with aggression, improvise weapons, disarm him, and commit to taking the shooter down.”
“It certainly picked up,” said Damon Yerian, vice president of creative services for Gilbreath Communications, referring to the wide distribution and use of the video. “We had been preparing to release it right when the Aurora shooting happened and the federal government had been in the works developing something of their own that wasn’t moving forward. So the Department of Homeland Security said they’d take the lead. It’s become something like the national training video for active shooter training, and it’s used internationally too.”
In other words, happy Monday!
Mass Shooting
By Aaron West
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