Odessa mass shooting survivor Joe Glide poses for a photo in his hotel room on August 14, 2020 in Odessa. While driving into Odessa on Aug. 31, 2019, Glide was shot twice by gunman Seth Ator through the door of his car, with a third bullet being stopped in his wallet. One of the bullets that struck Glide entered and exited his abdomen, missing his vital organs, while the second passed through his leg, severing nerves that left part of his leg numb. With August 31, 2020 being the first anniversary of the 2019 mass shooting, fellow photographer Ben Powell and I were entrusted with documenting multiple stories of survivors and victims from the event that rocked our community. Being a native of Midland, the shooting had a huge impact on my life as it was my introduction to photojournalism. The event gave me an itch to capture life behind the lens and being able to photograph Joe Glide was an incredible honor as it felt like I had captured the community beginning to heal.
