Kathy Shorr’s Photography Book Documents Gun Violence Survivors in America
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A photographer with a long-term project dedicated to documenting survivors of gun violence has turned to Kickstarter to help turn her series into a book.

Kathy Shorr began working on the portrait series SHOT in 2013 and has photographed and recorded the stories of 101 people who had been on the receiving end of gun violence.

Kathy Shorr
After leaving a bar, Kenny was accosted and mugged by a group of teens. Trying to get back to the bar for help, he was then shot by one of them who thought McLaughlin was following him. Brooklyn, New York, 1996. © Kathy Shorr

“You think about people who pass away, but you rarely hear about what’s happened to the people who have to put the pieces together and continue with their lives,” Shorr told American Photo in 2014 about what was then a work-in-progress project.

Kathy Shorr
Janine, a Corrections officer, was accosted at home by her husband, a captain with the Corrections Department. He shot her after she told him that their marriage was over. Long Island, New York, 2013. © Kathy Shorr

Shorr finished photographing subjects at the end of 2015 an then worked with Nikolai Shorr to design her book. Although Shorr has signed a contract with powerHouse Books for a Spring 2017 publication date, as is common with many book publishers these days, it’s up to the photographer to bring in some of the funds to actually publish. She is looking to raise $12,500 during the campaign. You can pre-order a signed copy of the book for a $60 pledge. Check out her Kickstarter campaign here.

Kathy Shorr
Sitting in a car at an intersection, Caheri was shot in the face by an unknown assailant. She was 18 years old and an aspiring model. The shooting is believed to have been a gang initiation. Oakland, California, 2008. © Kathy Shorr
Kathy Shorr
During his freshman year at the University of Washington, Scott worked part-time in a record store. Three robbers entered the store and one of them shouted something. As he turned to the man, the thief fired, hitting Hayashi in the abdomen. He is now the Episcopal Bishop of Utah. Tacoma, Washington, 1972; photographed in St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, Salt Lake City. © Kathy Shorr
Kathy Shorr
James lost the lower part of his leg after talking to a rowdy guest at a birthday party. The guest, a former military man, returned to the party, placed a shotgun on Armstrong’s calf and fired. He then turned the gun on Armstrong’s friend, killing him. When he put the gun to the head of a second friend, it jammed. Bozeman, Montana, 2013. © Kathy Shorr
Kathy Shorr
Aisha was shot in the chest and then in the head by a teenage acquaintance who owed her 40 dollars. She lost her right eye. He was sentence to five years in jail. Newark, Delaware, 2012. © Kathy Shorr