284,014
total hearts received for Moments That Survive

Janeice Hodges-Thomas

My boyfriend and I, his best friend, and his girlfriend were invited to a childhood friend’s family home for an evening by the lake. We were all 19 years old at the time. Our night of frivolity turned sour, and I ended up running through the woods barefoot to a neighbor’s house just like in a horror movie after I wrestled a rifle away from our host. Our host ended up grabbing another firearm — this time a handgun — and shot my boyfriend’s best friend to death. The shooter’s mom made the 911 call. She had to tell the dispatcher that her son had shot a boy in their kitchen. How heartbreaking for two families.

Reacting shows support for gun violence survivors.

284,014