The 2019 Dallas Federal Courthouse Shooting meme stems from a highly cinematic photograph captured by Dallas Morning News photographer Tom Fox during an attempted shooting at the Earle Cabell Federal Building. The image depicts the gunman in tactical gear running across the street, captured with a composition that many internet users noted looked like a third-person shooter video game or an action movie still. Despite the dark reality of the event, the image became a viral template used to describe situations where someone is charging into a chaotic environment or 'joining the fight' in a metaphorical sense, such as entering a heated online argument or a complicated social situation.