active shooter

American  

[ak-tiv shoo-ter] / ˈæk tɪv ˈʃu tər /

noun

1. a person who is presently using a gun to shoot people in a confined and populated area.

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Etymology

Origin of active shooter

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

The Department of Homeland Security said the off-duty ICE agent was responding to an “active shooter.”

From Los Angeles Times

The police responded by deploying officers to the scene, and issuing an active shooter alert for the rural community and a surrounding area.

From BBC

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security initially said an off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who lived at the same apartment complex was responding to a suspected “active shooter” when he opened fire.

From Los Angeles Times

Local police have refrained from using the Department of Homeland Security’s characterization of Porter as an “active shooter.”

From Los Angeles Times

McLaughlin also labeled Keith Porter Jr. — a Los Angeles man shot and killed by an off-duty ICE agent in Northridge on New Year’s Eve — an “active shooter” in initial media comments about the case, using a term that typically refers to a gunman attempting to kill multiple people.

From Los Angeles Times