LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It has been two years since Whitney Austin, a Louisville wife and mother, survived a mass shooting in Cincinnati.
In an interview with WDRB News on Friday, Austin said she's staying strong in the fight to reduce gun violence in Louisville and across the country.
"I walked right into a mass shooting," Austin said. "And so, while I never believed it would happen to me, I can promise you, in the moment that it was happening to me, something inside me changed, and I knew that I could no longer ignore it. I had to do everything that I could to prevent it."
Austin was on a conference call, walking into Fifth Third Bank on Fountain Square in downtown Cincinnati and was shot 12 times in that mass shooting. After the shooting, Austin gave up a high-profile job at the bank and created Whitney Strong, a nonprofit aimed at reducing gun violence.
"I am crystal clear in I have to be doing this," Austin said. "I have to be doing Whitney Strong, and I have to be fighting all types of gun violence."
And that includes the ongoing gun violence on the streets of Louisville. Despite COVID-19, the violence has continued.
"The data started pouring in that almost every type of gun violence is exacerbated because of this pandemic," Austin said.
So far, there have been at least 110 homicides in Louisville this year and more than 400 shootings.
Earlier this week, local activists, music artists and even University of Louisville trauma surgeon Dr. Keith Miller spoke out about the violence.
"We're seeing multiple injuries, nearly every night," Miller said. We've gone from a situation where we would look at gunshot wounds over week- or month-long intervals, and now we look at it over nightly intervals."
They may have different messages, but they have the same goals: They want to stop or drastically reduce the gun violence.
"I firmly believe there are many tactics for reducing the gun violence, and Whitney Strong is going to do some of them," Austin said. "But we have got to band behind all of them and support them so that we can make a difference in this city."
Despite several painful surgeries and ongoing therapy, Austin refuses to sit this one out.
"I have to pay for this gift that has been given to me," she said.
While paying for the gift of life, Austin said she's also rewarded by staying in contact with other victims of the mass shooting and the police officers who helped save their lives.
On Sept. 25, the Whitney Strong Foundation is hosting an event called A Night For Life Reflections on Survival. The virtual event will pair local gun violence survivors with Louisville artists.
To learn more about the event, click here.
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