Book Preview: One Tweet. One Survivor. One Hell of a Story.

Ten years later, Sgt. Alex Collins stood once again where he nearly lost his life during the Dorner manhunt. Same road. Same trees. Same silence. Only this time, he was walking—not being dragged to safety. Sometimes the most powerful stories aren’t told. They’re revisited.

In the middle of one of the most intense manhunts in California history, I sent a tweet.

It was meant to protect officers under fire.

Instead, it ignited a media storm, triggered a cyberattack, and changed how I understood the cost of telling a story in real time.

Ten years later, I stood on a mountain road with Sgt. Alex Collins—a deputy who lived through the violent rampage carried out by Christopher Dorner. This time, he was upright. Breathing. Whole. We returned not just to document what happened, but to feel it.

This chapter isn't just about crisis communication. It’s about memory. Survival. And what happens when you return to the place where everything nearly ended.

“Alex brought us to the exact spot where he lay bleeding out. I didn’t direct. I didn’t interrupt. I just made sure the camera was rolling—because that was the moment.

That was the bridge between then and now.”

The tweet that started it all. Meant to protect officers during the Dorner manhunt—instead, it lit a media firestorm and sparked a cyberattack. One sentence. One moment. One hell of a lesson in the weight of words.

This is just one story from the pages of my upcoming book—a collection of moments like these, where the weight of the work met the purpose behind the lens. I’m looking forward to sharing more soon. Stay tuned for updates on the release, behind-the-scenes photos, and the stories that shaped the storyteller I’ve become.

COMING SOON

The Story Comes First will soon be available for digital download on Apple Books. This is more than a book—it’s a call to storytellers who give a damn. Whether you’re behind the camera, behind the mic, or behind the scenes, this guide was made for you.

For the latest updates, follow along on Instagram @ctopherlee or check back here. The story’s just getting started.