ODESSA, Texas — It’s been a little more than a week since the deadly shooting rampage in West Texas that killed seven people and injured 23 others.
Locals in the Permian Basin are using the tragedy to bring the community together.
It was a quiet, calm Saturday afternoon in the Midland-Odessa area.
"My family and I, we were just enjoying a day outside, swimming, and came in and had about 50 missed texts and I don't know how many missed calls,” said Chris Kelly, lead pastor at Mid-Cities Church.
"I was in my living room in my apartment, and it's next to the loop. I heard so many sirens going down the loop, which was unusual for so many,” said Karly Eaton, a nursing student at University of Texas of the Permian Basin.
"I was looking for a car to hide behind because I didn't want to be a sitting duck,” said Meztli Sanchez, an Odessa resident.
She was at the movie theater where the deadly shooting rampage came to an end.
That quiet afternoon took a traumatic turn.
"I found a stranger, got a ride, and got out of here,” Sanchez said.
A lone gunman opened fire on innocent people between the two cities. Police said the rampage lasted for more than an hour.
"You never think it's going to happen to you, in your place, in your community, to your friends and family,” Eaton said.
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Among those injured were a 45-year-old from Round Rock and a 17-month-old from Odessa. The deceased victims ranged in age from 15 to 57.
"It's a different kind of fear, especially when you have your friends and family and loved ones with you,” Sanchez said.
The fear from that Saturday afternoon cut deep for the people of the Permian Basin.
But now, the community is uniting in a way unexpected.
"I think, overall, people are shocked but they're encouraged as well," Kelly said. "They know that the community is strong, the outpouring of support, the prayers that we've seen, the hope that we have, all of those things are good signs. And so people are mourning, but they're encouraged as well.”
The attack ripped the community apart, but people there are thankful for the chance to return to the quiet, calm, West Texas mood, as a stronger and more unified community.
"We're thankful," Eaton said. "I know that's really simple, but it's the emotion that everyone feels at this time, is just an overflowing of thankfulness.”
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