In August 2013, I became a survivor of gun violence. At the age of 18, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time: I was a victim caught in between crossfire in a gun violence scene. I had just arrived at the park. I was still in my car, looking at myself in my mirror, when, out of nowhere, I saw a SUV turn on high beams and drive off a bit fast. I didn’t think anything of it.
The next thing I heard was a gun being fired into my car and then a few bullets hitting my car. One bullet had gone through my back driver-side light, then through my trunk, my backseat and my passenger seat. That’s when the stray bullet hit my left upper abdomen. I yelled in pain, feeling my insides were burning, my vision going in and out. I was rushed to the hospital, and that’s when I realized gun violence needs to end.
The bullet is still in my stomach. It was an inch away from hitting my lungs; doctors didn’t do surgery since I was at risk of damage. It’s 2021, and I still have the bullet in me. End gun violence!