On Wednesday, August 27, 2025, a gunman opened fire at Annunciation Catholic School and Church in south Minneapolis during the first week of classes and a morning Mass, prompting a massive multi-agency response and campus evacuation. Officials said the shooter was contained and there was no ongoing threat as the situation stabilized; reports noted multiple victims (20) as details continued to develop. AP NewsCBS NewsStar Tribune
Witness accounts and early coverage described a large law-enforcement presence and fast mutual-aid coordination across city, state, and federal agencies. Some outlets cited as many as 20 victims while others reported at least two fatalities and more than a dozen injured; authorities emphasized that numbers could change as hospitals update their counts. FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. PaulABC News
This tragedy is another painful reminder that violence can strike anywhere—schools, churches, workplaces—and that preparedness is the only variable we can meaningfully control.
How this might have been avoided or mitigated: layered prevention and rapid response. Many faith-based schools can strengthen security without sacrificing warmth: single-point entry with staffed check-in, locked interior doors during large gatherings, classroom doors that can be secured from the inside, reinforced glazing/film, and cameras that actually feed a monitored dashboard. Equally important is a behavioral threat-assessment process—training staff and parents to recognize and report leakage, fixation, or direct threats, and empowering administrators to act on credible concerns. Regularly rehearsed mass-notification (PA, text, strobe) and clear plain-language scripts cut through confusion. Finally, pre-incident coordination with local police (site walk-throughs, shared floor plans, radio/911 test calls, reunification sites) compresses time when seconds matter.
Where technology or staffing can’t be perfect, training fills the gap. That’s where A.L.I.V.E. comes in.
A.L.I.V.E. (Assess, Leave, Impede, Violence, Expose) is a practical, survivability-focused method designed for ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances.
- Assess: Snap to awareness. Identify where the threat is (sound, sight, crowd movement) and make an immediate decision. Commit to action—don’t wait for confirmation bias to steal seconds.
- Leave: If a safe path exists, go now. Distance is protection. Take others with you, ignore belongings, and move off the X toward cover and then away from the site.
- Impede: If you can’t escape, deny access. Lock and barricade doors, kill lights, silence devices, get low and out of sight, and create distance with furniture or heavy objects.
- Violence (last resort): If confronted, overwhelm—numbers, speed, and improvised tools (extinguisher, chair, books, bags). Target eyes, throat, groin, weapon arm; commit until the threat is stopped or you can break contact.
- Expose: When the immediate danger is over or officers arrive, show your hands, follow commands, and move carefully. Keep hands empty, avoid sudden movements, and help others do the same.
For schools and churches specifically, pair A.L.I.V.E. with a few high-impact practices: seat staff near aisles/doors during assemblies, pre-assign rally points and secondary exits, keep go-kits (master keys, rosters, med supplies, floor plans) in predictable places, and run brief, age-appropriate drills that build muscle memory without creating fear.
The events in Minneapolis underline a hard truth: hope is not a plan—preparedness is. Empowering people with the A.L.I.V.E. mindset and skills dramatically increases survivability while longer-term prevention efforts take root.
Contact us today to learn more about the A.L.I.V.E. method and help to prevent these terrible tragedies.
- image source: KVRR Local News
About the Author
Michael D. Julian is President of MPS Security & Protection and a 30-plus-year veteran of the security and investigations industry. He served as President of the California Association of Licensed Investigators (CALI) from 2005 to 2015 and has led executive protection, residential security, and corporate investigations engagements for Fortune 500 principals, high-net-worth families, and public figures across the United States. Connect with Michael on LinkedIn.