Patient from Allen Premium Outlets shooting talks about journey of recovery at Medical City McKinney

At 1 p.m. May 16, Walker, along with Medical City McKinney Trauma Director Elizabeth Kim, Chief Nursing Officer Cassidi Summers and his attorney Daryl K. Washington, spoke on Walker’s recovery following the events of May 6.

Walker was Medical City McKinney's first patient following the shooting, Kim said. He had sustained wounds from multiple bullet fragments around his head, neck, chest and arms. Bullets were also found just below his clavicle bone, near some of the major vessels supplying blood to the arms. He is expected to start rehab after recovery.

“When we were looking at the wounds, there were several bullets we were extremely worried about,” Kim said. “One of them went into the closest layer of tissue to the heart. It looked like his heart was okay.”

Walker expressed gratitude for the medical staff, support from his family, his Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity brothers and God for his recovery.

“I had the mindset that when I come here, the energy I give out, I can expect back,” Walker said. “So, I continue glorifying the Lord and thanking people for their expertise in healing my body, my spirit and hope. From the technician to the person cleaning the hospital to the doctor and nursing lead, they gave me hope through this process. Hopefully, I can keep in touch with some of them to continually give me hope through this process.”

Kim recalled how when she first saw Walker to help with his treatment, he had a smile on his face.

“It really was one of the brighter parts of that day. You were calm, and it was an inspiration to me," Dr. Kim said to Walker.

As other patients came in, Kim said the hospital was able to effectively treat multiple patients almost simultaneously due to the training they received.

Both Summers and Kim commended the staff who worked with patients following the shooting on May 6.

Kim recalled how she was at a wedding reception when she received the call that patients were coming following the shooting. Summers, who was at the mall less than an hour before the shooting occurred, came to the hospital to offer support and help establish order among visitors and incoming patients.

“In a matter of minutes, our community was shaken, and our lives were changed forever,” Summers said. “A matter of minutes could have altered the course of my life. My family and I had just gotten home from the Allen mall when I received a notification that a shooting had occurred there, and I learned that we had walked the exact same path as the shooter less than an hour before.”

Walker recalled how he had dropped off his girlfriend at a store before he looked for parking and found a space a ways from where he had dropped off his girlfriend. As he made his way to the store, he said he remembered the feeling of being shot but did not see the shooter.

“I had never been shot before, so I was in what I guess most people would call shock,” Walker said. “But anytime I'm in trouble, I call on my Lord.”

Walker encourages surrounding communities to continue supporting Allen as it moves forward from the events of May 6.

“I have nothing to say about the shooting or shooter,” Walker said. “It's all love. If you give love, you get love. That's why I'm here today.”