Dr. Brian Williams is a trauma surgeon who saved the lives of injured police officers during the 2016 mass shooting at the Dallas Police Department. Now, he is running for Congress and wants to ensure that that day never repeats.
On July 7, 2016, when bullets rang out, Williams wasn’t there to witness the fallen officers or hear the commotion. But he witnessed the aftermath and, amid the panic, tended to the gunman’s victims as they arrived.
In a harrowing recollection of that day’s events, Williams spoke to CNN’s Don Lemon in 2016 about the attack.
“We are all in this together, we are all connected. All this violence, all this hatred, all these disagreements, it impacts us all, whether you realize it or not. This is not the kind of world we want to leave for our children. Something has to be done,” he tearfully said.
Williams’ experience that day is why he is running for Congress on a platform that advocates for more safety. “There is a real need for leaders who have frontline experience with the issues that we’re trying to solve,” he said in a recent interview with the Dallas Morning News. A staunch supporter of gun safety, reproductive rights, and protecting the environment, Williams is everything Texas is not used to. Still, this doesn’t deter him.
Williams boasts many credentials. An Air Force veteran, he worked as an aeronautical engineer before attending the University of South Florida’s medical school. After completing his general surgery residency at Harvard Medical School, he trained at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He worked at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta before making Dallas his home in 2010. He currently works as an assistant professor of surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center. If his candidacy succeeds, he can add congressman to his already expansive repertoire.
Williams is one of many contenders hoping to replace Congressman Collin Allred, who is not running for re-election. Instead, he has announced his bid to displace Republican Ted Cruz in the Senate.
William’s journey to becoming a congressman has not been seamless. Following the shooting, he found solace in his work, but it did not stop him from reeling from that day’s events. Still, he is ready for the challenges he knows he will face if elected as Texas’ newest congressman. But he’s ready after witnessing the consequences of gun violence firsthand, working as an Airman, and seeing all of Texas’s potential.