UT student Harper Lewis was at Burford’s bar early Sunday morning when a gunman opened fire. She said donating blood was the least she could do.

AUSTIN, Texas — Harper Lewis will forever be changed by a night out with friends. 

“We were having such a fun day. We had been just hopping around places,” Harper said. 

She and her friends ended up at Burford’s on Sunday morning when gunfire broke out, just as the bar was set to close for the night. Three were killed and at least 13 others were injured as a result.

“We were right by the entrance, ready to walk out, when it all happened,” Lewis said. 

She was on the phone with her parents as the mass shooting happened in the background. Her father, William Lewis, recalled that call that woke him up in the middle of the night. 

“We just honestly heard screaming and loud background noise. She wasn’t able to talk,” William Lewis said. 

Now with more than a day having gone by, Harper Lewis joined many Austinites at the pop-up blood drive in front of City Hall on Monday afternoon. More than anything, she was grateful to have her parents by her side. They made the emergency trip from their home in Dallas. 

“I was so relieved. I called them during it. I knew if I could speak to anyone, I wanted to talk to my parents,” Harper Lewis said. 

Both Harper and William Lewis rolled up their sleeves with the dozens of Austinites that took time out of their day, giving what they can to continue saving lives. 

“She was insistent upon it, it was the first thing we were going to do today,” William Lewis said. 

Nick Canedo with We Are Blood said donations are always appreciated, now more than ever. A lot of the blood supply was used in Sunday morning’s emergency response. 

“We’re told all throughout Sunday we sent out over 150 donations, 150 blood products to be able to meet the needs of the gunshot victims from the violence Saturday,” Canedo said. “Right now it’s about replenishing the supply and bringing the community together.” 

Among those that donated was Kyle Jennings, a father to two young children. He himself grew up in Texas, so he understood the spirit that comes with being a Texan. He’s also a regular at the blood banks, always donating what he can. 

“Normally I would go to the North Lamar center, big center – easy in and out. But because of the recent event, an extra 20 minutes into downtown, I figured go out and help out,” Jennings said.

There is also K Hayes, a UT freshman who was the first person to sign up when the blood drive began at 11 a.m.. 

“After the tragedy, it takes like 10 to 15 minutes out of the day. It’s really easy. So, why not?” Hayes said. 

Another person there to help was Dylan Stover, a born-and-raised Austinite who will not allow the tragedy take away from what his hometown is known for, community. 

“What happened on Sixth, that’s not what Austin is about. This is what Austin is about – doing what we can, lining up here to donate blood,” Stover said. 

Selena Xie worked to organize the last-minute blood drive. She once oversaw the EMS union and still continues to work as a medic. She was also one of the first responders that arrived at the scene. 

Her work is never done, and neither is the work of those first responders. That is why some of them also came out to Austin City Hall on Monday, more than 24 hours after working the scene at Buford’s. 

“I think now, everybody, and you see many how people are out here, wants to give back to the community. That’s why they want to figure out if they can do anything. That’s why so many paramedics are here,” Xie said. 

Because the blood drive was so last-minute, there was not enough staffing to accommodate every single Austinite who showed up. The line had to be cut off at 3 p.m. with some still having waited past 5 p.m. to donate blood. 

We Are Blood said it encourages anyone who could not donate on Monday to consider donating anytime. All blood types are welcome, especially O-negative because it is the universal blood donor. 

William Lewis’ heart goes out to any parent in his position, or worse. But while he is concerned about his daughter’s well-being following the traumatic event, he also sees how strong she is being. 

“We’re very proud of her. Yeah, we are,” William Lewis said. 

As for Harper Lewis, she said she will never forget the true spirit of being an Austinite, even in the face of tragedy. 

“During it, we all felt so helpless. People who were there, the people who heard about it after, I think if there’s one thing people can do is come here and donate blood,” she said.Â