Active Shooter: America Under Fire documentary series on Stan

Active Shooter: America Under Fire is a documentary series looking at some of the biggest US mass shootings, giving a fascinating analysis that talks to surviving victims, first responders and even a devastated family member of one of the shooters.

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The words “active shooter” have become terrifyingly common in recent years. A week or month rarely goes by when footage is beamed, often from the US but sometimes much closer to home, to our TVs from a school or a church or a workplace where a disturbed individual has opened fire on innocent victims.

We’ve all watched on in horror as people run for their lives, SWAT teams hunt for a gunman and white sheets give an indication that some victims didn’t make it out alive.

This documentary series takes an in-depth look at eight mass shootings in the US.

This is not something new — mass shootings have been happening around the world for decades — but in a much more connected world, we are seeing these events play out in real time.

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When Stephen Paddock opened fire at the Route 91 Harvest music festival on the Las Vegas Strip in 2017, the world watched on as the number of victims grew by the minute and the bright lights of this tourist mecca were drowned out by the red and blue flashing lights of emergency services.

It was the same when Omar Mateen cut down 49 young lives at Orlando’s Pulse Nightclub the year before. And Sandy Hook. And Parkland, San Bernardino, Aurora and most recently Christchurch.

We are fascinated and horrified by these events and what drives someone to do such a thing.

Active Shooter: America Under Fire is a documentary series looking at some of the biggest US mass shootings.

One of the police officers from the documentary Active Shooter: America Under Fire. Picture: Ericka Janian/Showtime

Such a topic can be dealt with in any number of ways.

Sometimes these types of documentaries focus purely on the gory details, sensationalising where sensationalism isn’t needed.

Active Shooter is a fascinating analysis that talks to surviving victims, first responders and even a devastated family member of one of the shooters.

While the acts are described and played out, they aren’t overdone and more emphasis is put on the response, the recovery and the impact on those involved from all corners.

Sometimes myths are busted, such as those around the Columbine High School massacre to do with the two shooters.

Interviews with first responders, often a single officer who rolls up completely unprepared and often underarmed, give a chilling insight into what it’s like to deal with something so traumatic.

Years after some of these events, those tasked with finding the killer or treating the injured are still suffering from the enormity of the situation. This is a tough watch but extremely eye-opening.

* Active Shooter: America Under Fire screens on Stan