From a wheelchair inside Medical City McKinney Tuesday afternoon, Irvin Walker, a survivor of the mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets, talked about his recovery and experience of survival.
"The power of God just showed brightly and gave me an opportunity to fight through this process and evil is not going to win," said Walker, 46, as he sat next to the doctor who treated him and his attorney.
Eight people were killed, including three children. Seven others were injured when a gunman opened fire on innocent shoppers and employees at the busy outdoor shopping center on May 6.
Walker lives in Lewisville but is originally from Lafayette, Louisiana. He is the father of an adult daughter and works in the insurance industry. He said had just dropped off his girlfriend at a store at the mall because it was so busy. When he drove off to find parking, he encountered a barrage of gunfire.
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"I didn't see the shooter, I just felt the shots," explained Walker.
Dashcam video for another car showed the moment when the gunman parked his car in the middle of the parking lot and started walking toward the mall. Walker happened to be driving by when he was shot three times.
"When you see the shots to the windshield you're going to wonder, 'how he's even sitting here today?'" said Daryl K. Washington, Walker's attorney.
"I knew I was bleeding profusely, so I got out of my vehicle and I saw what appeared to be a security officer approaching on a Segway and I ran towards that way," explained Walker who then encountered Christian LaCour, the Allied Universal security guard who was working at the time and died while helping others to safety.
He said he was running, which turned into jogging and walking and LaCour told him to sit down due to his injuries.
"And he was behind me and, I don’t have much to say after that. The tragedy occurred," he shared.
Walker said he had never been shot before and spoke about how he relied on his faith to get him through the tragedy and the days after.
"Anytime I am in trouble, I call on the Lord. So I began to praise him, be thankful and glorify him, and I asked him for his protection," said Walker.
He was taken to Medical City McKinney, which is about three miles from the Allen Premium Outlets. He was the first of eight patients from the shooting to arrive about 14 minutes after it began, according to the hospital.
He underwent a couple of surgeries to address his injuries. Last week, his daughter spoke about her father's condition and the long journey ahead.
On Tuesday during the news conference, Dr. Elizabeth Kim, MD., who is the trauma director for Medical City McKinney, said they were concerned not only for Walker's bullet wounds but the bullet fragments around his head, neck, chest and arm.
She said he didn't need surgery immediately on that Saturday, but was given a CT scan to see how deep the bullet wounds were. Kim said there were several bullet fragments they were extremely worried about.
"The bullet was this close to his heart," said Kim as she used her index finger and thumb in a pinching motion to illustrate how close he was to death.
"He had multiple wounds; too many to even count. On his head, shoulder, neck, chest. All those places and some of those bullet tracks were so extensive we actually had to open him up and clean everything out underneath," explained Kim.
Walker remains at the hospital and will now begin his rehabilitation process. Medical City McKinney said they're still taking care of three other patients from the shooting.
For Walker, he echoed how his attitude and belief system are helping him push forward.
"I believe you give love, you get love, and that is why I am here today," he said.
Hospital staff also shared their experience in treating patients who were brought there from the Allen Premium Outlets.
"On May 6, in a matter of minutes, our community was shaken and lives were changed forever. A matter of minutes could have altered the course of my life. My family and I had just gotten home from the Allen mall when I received the notification that there was a shooting there. And after the fact, I learned that we had walked the exact same path that the shooter had gone less than an hour before. I came directly to Medical City McKinney, where we immediately stood up the command center," said Cassidi Summers, a Registered Nurse who is the chief nursing officer at Medical City McKinney.
She said prior training for critically injured trauma patients prepared them for this moment.
More than 100 nurses, surgeons, physicians, leaders and support staff from Medical City McKinney and across the Medical City Health Care system were in place and ready to go.
Kim said she was at a wedding reception for a hospital colleague when the call came in. She said she left immediately and began coordinating care with surgeons, mobilizing anesthesiologists, blood and so forth within her 20-minute drive.
Once she arrived, Kim said she too could see that their drills and training prepared them for that day. She also commented on a moment that stood out.
"You had a smile there that I saw when I came in that room, it really was one of the bright parts of that day, you were calm and an inspiration for me," said Kim to Walker who replied with a "Thank You" during the news conference.
Walker said he has a long journey ahead but credited not only his faith but his support system -- his family and his Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. brothers who have been there with him at the hospital and were there with him during the news conference.
"I never imaged that I would have to experience this, but I also didn't imagine that, that many people love me," said Walker about the support from family, friends and strangers he's received over the past 10 days.
He also took time to thank his fraternity brothers, who he said have really stepped up.
"There's a word that we use when a lot of us are going through the membership intake process and it's the word 'heavy,' you know, and heavy describes adversity, it describes a time that most people regret in their lives, and these guys make sure that I'm not heavy. They absorb the burden off of me to take care of my family or all of my worries and they make sure I'm not heavy, so I'm grateful to the brothers, all fraternities, all sororities, doesn't matter the ethnic background, I've been getting love from everywhere, but I am grateful to my brothers," said Walker.
As for those who were injured or killed during the shooting, he said, "It's a horrible situation. It hurts to have to see people suffer. To see their family or kids pass away," said Walker who asked for continued prayers for the community.
ALLEN MALL SHOOTING
With the outpouring of support for the victims of the mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets, GoFundMe has launched a centralized hub for all verified fundraisers related to the shooting. The online fundraising platform said it was working around the clock to make sure that all funds donated go directly to survivors or the families of victims.
