A 23-year-old employee was killed while filming a dog training video in Washington after his boss allegedly used live ammunition near a target during a commercial shoot.
YouTube Dog Training Video Turns Deadly After Boss Uses Live Rounds
The YouTube dog training video deadly shooting case began as a commercial shoot for a German Shepherd breeder.
It ended with a 23-year-old employee dead on the ground.
On June 3, 2025, in Thurston County, Washington, employees at a dog breeding and training company called 911 after a video shoot involving dogs, firearms, and live ammunition went catastrophically wrong. Curtis Gordon had been helping film a promotional-style training video when one round struck him in the head. According to the script, callers immediately began CPR, but they quickly realized the injury was not survivable.
At first, deputies were told it was an accident.
But as investigators spoke with employees, former workers, and the man holding the gun, the case began to look less like a freak accident and more like a chain of reckless decisions that never should have happened.
A 911 Call Reports a Shooting During a Dog Training Video
The first call to 911 was frantic.
Someone had been shot.
He was unconscious.
He was not breathing normally.
Dispatchers instructed the callers to begin CPR. The people on scene tried to follow the instructions, but the injury was devastating. One caller said the wound was at the top of Curtis’s head. Another noticed blood coming from his nose and ears.
By the time deputies arrived, Curtis was on the ground in the training area.
He was pronounced dead at 10:37 a.m.
That left investigators with one urgent question.
How did a commercial shoot for a dog training business become a fatal shooting?
The Video Was Supposed to Show Dogs and Firearms
According to employees, the video was being made for Craft Work owner Wayne Curry. The idea was to film a German Shepherd training sequence involving firearms. Wayne was reportedly holding one of the dogs by the collar while shooting at a target across the field.
Curtis was not the shooter.
He was part of the video.
He was reportedly wearing a protective bite sleeve and was positioned in a way that would help create a stronger reaction from the dog.
That decision became the center of the investigation.
Investigators noticed how close Curtis’s body was to the target area. Police later found 42 shell casings in the grass, but according to the script, there was not a single hole in the paper target.
That detail raised an obvious question.
If Wayne was supposed to be shooting at the target, why did the target show no hits?
Employees Say Curtis Was Moved Downrange
One employee explained that the shoot had started with Wayne firing while handling the dog. But the dog was not reacting the way Wayne wanted. According to the script, Wayne wanted more energy from the dog and asked Curtis to get closer and agitate it.
That meant Curtis was moved downrange.
Not behind the shooter.
Not safely out of the line of fire.
Downrange.
An employee described the setup as the first time they had someone near the target area while live rounds were being fired. Even one person on scene reacted bluntly to that detail.
It sounded stupid.
And it was about to become fatal.
The Dog Jerks, the Gun Moves, and Curtis Drops
According to one witness, Wayne continued firing while Curtis agitated the dog. Then the dog apparently jerked, pulling Wayne’s body and firearm off line.
A moment later, Curtis was hit.
One witness remembered hearing Wayne ask whether he had hit him. Then he looked over and saw Curtis on the ground with blood coming from his nose and ears. Curtis’s brother Connor, who was also on the field, could barely describe what happened. He remembered watching Wayne, hearing him shout, and then seeing his brother on the ground.
That is what makes this case so painful.
Curtis was not killed during a training emergency.
He was killed while filming content.
A video.
An advertisement.
A staged moment that never should have involved live ammunition near a person.
Curtis’s Brother Breaks Down at the Scene
One of the most emotional parts of the footage came when Curtis’s older brother Kevin arrived.
At first, he was confused about which brother had been hurt. Officers tried to hold him back from the scene while explaining that his brother was deceased. When he realized Curtis was dead, his grief turned into rage.
He demanded to know who shot him.
He could not understand why anyone would use a real gun with live ammunition for a video.
That reaction captured what many people watching the case would later think.
For what?
A stupid video.
That was the part no one could get past.
Curtis was 23 years old.
And he died during a shoot that witnesses believed could have been done safely with blanks, unloaded firearms, or a non-lethal prop.
Wayne Curry Says He Never Meant to Hurt Him
Investigators eventually spoke with Wayne Curry, the owner of the facility and the person holding the gun. Wayne appeared emotionally overwhelmed and said he never meant to harm Curtis.
He explained that the rifle had an electronic sight and that there may have been an issue with it. He suggested the dog pulled him, the movement happened quickly, and the gun shifted toward Curtis.
Wayne repeatedly struggled to process what had happened.
But investigators still had to ask the obvious question.
Why shoot with someone downrange?
Wayne later acknowledged that it sounded stupid. He also compared the situation to the “Rust” movie shooting, but one person noted a key difference: in this case, the shooter allegedly knew live rounds were being used.
That distinction mattered.
This was not simply a prop gun misunderstanding.
This was a live firearm being used during a staged video with people in the area.
Former Employees Describe a Troubling Workplace
The case took a darker turn when investigators began speaking with current and former employees.
According to the script, several former workers described the work environment as chaotic and dependent on Wayne’s mood. Some days were fine. Other days were frightening.
They alleged that Wayne mistreated dogs during training. Former employees claimed he kicked dogs, dragged them by the neck, lifted one by its collar until it choked, withheld food to make dogs more motivated for videos, and even kicked a pregnant dog in the stomach.
Those claims were disturbing enough.
Then came something worse.
Multiple former employees alleged that puppies considered below standard were placed alive in a freezer until they died.
One former worker said this happened to puppies that were not up to Wayne’s standards, including one with an underdeveloped ear. Another described records being removed afterward.
Those allegations changed the emotional tone of the investigation.
This was no longer only about a fatal shooting.
It became a broader look at what may have been happening behind the scenes at the business.
Employees Also Describe Fear Around Wayne
Former employees also claimed Wayne’s behavior toward staff could be volatile.
They described yelling, intimidation, and moments where employees felt trapped or afraid. One former worker said Wayne cornered her in an office while angry, and that a pistol fell from his jacket pocket. Another said she saw him physically attack a manager. A separate allegation involved Wayne striking an employee with a dog whip during a video shoot and then ordering that the video be erased.
Those claims mattered because they helped explain why Curtis may not have felt free to refuse.
One person close to the workplace said Curtis would not have chosen to stand in the line of that gun if he had truly had a choice. The implication was clear: people were afraid of Wayne, and that fear may have made employees go along with unsafe decisions.
That is one of the most important questions in this case.
Was Curtis standing there because he agreed?
Or because saying no did not feel like an option?
Firearm Safety Becomes the Core Issue
Investigators also focused on Wayne’s relationship with firearms.
Employees said previous video shoots involving guns had been done with unloaded weapons or with precautions in place. But this time, live ammunition was reportedly used while Curtis was positioned near the target area.
Some employees said they did not believe live rounds would be used during bite work. Others said Wayne had trouble handling or clearing firearms. One person said Wayne had pointed guns in unsafe directions before, a firearm safety issue often described as “flagging” someone with a barrel.
That made the fatal shot feel less like an impossible accident and more like a predictable risk.
A loaded gun.
A moving dog.
A person downrange.
A video shoot.
A target that was not even being hit.
Those facts became the heart of the case.
Wayne Curry Is Arrested for Manslaughter
Wayne Curry was arrested for first-degree manslaughter. According to the script, he bonded out two days later on $250,000. A judge ordered him to stay away from Connor, Craig, and Kalin, and to surrender all firearms to the Thurston County Sheriff.
The case did not end there.
Kalin said Wayne violated the court order by terminating his employment in retaliation. Wayne was arrested again for the violation and later released on his own recognizance.
A few days later, Kalin reportedly sent prosecutors a letter seeking $100,000 in restitution.
Nearly a year after the shooting, Wayne Curry was awaiting an August 2026 trial as a free man. According to the script, he continued selling adult dogs and puppies and continued posting new Craft Work videos, with some appearing to take place in the same field where Curtis Gordon died.
As with any pending criminal case, Wayne is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Why This Case Hit So Hard
This case is disturbing because Curtis’s death feels avoidable.
There were so many safer options.
Use blanks.
Use a prop gun.
Use an unloaded firearm.
Separate the live fire portion from the bite work.
Keep every person behind the firing line.
Do not shoot live rounds while handling a dog.
Do not place a human near the target.
Any one of those choices could have prevented the tragedy.
Instead, a 23-year-old employee died while filming a video.
That is why the case creates such a strong reaction. It is not only about a bullet. It is about judgment. It is about workplace pressure. It is about whether content, advertising, and ego were allowed to override basic safety.
The YouTube dog training video deadly shooting case began as a promotional shoot.
It ended with Curtis Gordon dead, his family shattered, and investigators digging into allegations that went far beyond one firearm mistake.
Wayne Curry said he never meant to hurt anyone.
But intent is not the only question.
The bigger question is why Curtis was ever placed near live fire in the first place.
A video can be reshot.
A target can be replaced.
A dog can be retrained.
Curtis Gordon cannot be brought back.
Do you think this was a tragic accident, or should using live rounds during a video shoot with someone downrange be treated as criminal recklessness?