Aug 05 2009
I was sitting on a hilltop waiting for reporter Sadie Gurman to finish reporting on a soldier's memorial service. She indicated she had finished, and I moved to my car. I had already used a wireless aircard to transmit my photos from the service back to the Post-Gazette.
I received a phone call from my editor asking if I was still north of the city. After replying yes, she said that someone had shot at least eight people at a gym in Collier. Sadie quickly returned to the car and we were on our way.
With a story this big, we already knew we'd be working as part of a team effort. There would be a Post-Gazette photographer there long before I arrived (two, actually) and writers as well. Sadie filed her memorial story from her cell phone in the car as we neared our destination.
I spent the better part of four hours at the scene of the shooting. I would take photographs until I thought I had something worth sending back for the paper, run to my car, fire up my laptop, and transmit as fast as possible. As the night progressed, the crowds dispersed and all that remained were the people who couldn't leave without their belongings from inside LA Fitness (car keys were the biggest problem) and a crowd of TV cameramen, reporters and photographers.
After the last major activity, I went to a nearby Eat'n Park. I scarfed down dinner while huddling in a corner next to an outlet (my laptop had long-since run out of power) to transmit one last photo back to the office.
The entire night I felt horrible about what was happening around me, while trying to remain visibly calm and professional. My heart goes out to the victims of this senseless act.