On the evening of July 23, 2019, I was driving home. Suddenly, there was a loud popping sound to my left, and the door window exploded into my face and eye. Thankfully, I was able to safely pull over and call 911.
The bullet struck the door, inches from my head. I was told I was lucky. I didn’t feel lucky.
To this day, I don’t know who fired that shot, or if it were an accident or intentional.
My story made the news, resulting in harassment from individuals claiming the event was a lie made to “push an anti-gun agenda.” Some harassers insisted that if I were carrying a gun myself, it never would have happened—as if carrying a gun while driving could prevent a stranger from shooting at my moving car.
I am still living with the physical and mental trauma, and I ended up quitting my job and moving to a different state shortly after the event. In the span of a few minutes, my life was changed forever. I hope that sharing my story can help spread awareness of the crisis our country is facing, so that no one has to experience the trauma of gun violence.