TOLEDO, Ohio — He was just out delivering pizzas in Toledo.
Gun violence has far-reaching impacts, touching not only the lives of victims but also their families and entire communities. For one Toledo family, a traumatic episode of gun violence brought this harsh reality home.
Erin Kramer, a local leader of Moms Demand Action, retold the harrowing experience of her son being carjacked while he was delivering pizzas one evening.
“I got a call from my son’s girlfriend, and she started with, ‘I want to let you know that he’s OK.’ And those words are, like, you never want to hear that,” said Kramer.
He was just out delivering pizzas in Toledo.
Kramer described the moments her son was abducted at gunpoint in Toledo and the terrifying moments that followed.
"(The perpetrator) had the gun on him the whole time. My son recounted that, you know, the (gun's) red light was on him while he was driving. And it was a call that no mom ever wants to receive," Kramer said.
He was just out delivering pizzas in Toledo.
Kramer said what her son experienced ultimately was a wake-up call for her.
"It's very traumatic. It really just made the gun violence problem hit home for me," Kramer said. As a leader of Moms Demand Action, Kramer works with the national grassroots organization to battle gun violence in communities throughout the nation.
The mental toll
In addition to the physical trauma that gun violence brings to direct victims of shootings, survivors, families and communities also are left to deal with psychological trauma that can linger even after wounds heal and scars fade.
Shay Bankston is a clinical therapist and the owner of Premier Consulting Toledo.
She's made it her mission to work with families who've been affected by trauma or gun violence and she said that trauma can vary from person to person.
"Always be mindful that it doesn't have to be a major catastrophe. It's very unique and individual to that person as to if something is traumatic or not," Bankston said.
Working toward recovery
OraLee Macklenar, supervisor of Mercy Health Toledo Trauma Recovery, said there are specific ways people should effectively deal with trauma. She listed a few ways people exposed to gun violence can healthily cope.
"Try to get back to some normalcy within your life and within your schedule, try to re-engage in exercising. It's some of those basic healthy day-to-day things, and trying to return to a sense of normalcy can really help people quite a bit," Macklenar said.
Keeping an eye on friends and loved ones who have been exposed to gun violence is crucial for recovery, Bankston said. When trauma happens, families should support and monitor how their loved ones are feeling and check in on them regularly. Premier Consulting Toledo says it can make all the difference in getting through a tough period.
Grateful for life
Kramer's son survived being abducted at gunpoint in 2022 and she wants to keep his identity anonymous
But she says she's thankful things ultimately turned out, knowing it could have been much worse.
"I look back now, and I know that if my son would have done anything differently, really, we could be having a very different conversation right now," Kramer said.
He was just out delivering pizzas in Toledo.