I was the gatekeeper

When a classmate shot Hollan Holm in the head, he handled it with dark humor. But when, more than 20 years later, his daughter described an active shooter drill at her school, Holm couldn’t find it funny anymore. 

Five bullets, including one to the spine, left Will Thomas paralyzed. More than 10 years later, Will is finally taking some control of his life and looking to create a better future.

After attending the funeral of a friend, Ra’Shauna Brown was chatting with other mourners when a gunman opened fire, killing three. Police said the shooting was part of a nine-day rampage that began over a stolen bracelet. 

 At 23 years old, Layla Bush was excited to work her first full-time job after college. Then a politically motivated gunman opened fire at her work, killing one. She remembers that the shooter looked her in the eye, acknowledging what he was doing just before he pulled the trigger.

 Javier Arango can’t remember a time when his life wasn’t immersed in violence. Born in conflict-ravaged Colombia, he moved to Oakland for refuge — only to be paralyzed by a bullet.

Michael Green was just 12 years old when someone opened fire and blasted him in the arm while he played basketball near his house. Police say he still lives down the street from the alleged shooter, who was never tried. 

Neglectful parents, and neighbors who looked the other way, set the stage for Clai Lasher-Sommers’ stepfather to shoot her in the back when she was 13 years old.

Best friends Carmen Alegria and Angelica Soto did everything together — and that includes saving each other from a gunman on a rampage.

We hear all too often about the casualties of gun violence in America. But what about the survivors? Two crime reporters travel the country talking to people whose lives changed with the pull of a trigger. Their backgrounds, environments and stories all vary, but they share one defining truth: they’ve survived a gunshot.