Now that I’ve had a chance to give all the details to my immediate family, I feel like I can share this online.
At around 11:15pm on July 4th, I was leaving a comedy show with about 50 other people. A man ran into the crowd with something concealed under his shirt. He then walked up to me and my friend and said, “Hey, how’s it going?" He pulled out a handgun, lifted it up to my head, and fired point blank. I didn’t realize what was happening at the time, but I ducked. I ran away and heard him fire two more times.
When I returned to the scene, I found everybody standing around in shock, and the shooter lying on the ground. He had shot himself, and he later died. Everyone else is physically okay. I was grazed on the top of my head by the first bullet (that’s the picture above), and I still have a ringing in my ears.
All things considered, I’m really lucky. Not only am I alive and didn’t witness him shooting himself, as so many did, I have extremely supportive family and friends, I have an understanding employer, and I have resources to talk to.
The shooter was mentally ill and wasn’t so lucky. The lesson I’m taking away from this is that we need to make mental health a priority in ourselves and in our communities. Support your local mental health organizations in whatever ways you can, financially and by forcing politicians to take the issue more seriously. If you live in Vancouver, this is a good place to donate.
If you want to hear more about the incident, we describe it during the first 30 minutes of episode 281 of Stop Podcasting Yourself. Don’t worry, the podcast is a lot more lighthearted than this post.
Sorry ‘bout the selfie.
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