18-year-old shot and left for dead along with her girlfriend

I read with sadness Tuesday about the Portland, Texas shooting of two teenage women. One, Mollie Olgin, was pronounced dead at the scene on Saturday morning, but the other is alive and hospitalized in stable condition. Her name is Mary Kristene Chapa; her friends call her Kristene. She played softball for her high school team and had plans to attend Texas A&M in the fall. The two had been dating since mid-February, according to friends.



While my friends in San Francisco were kicking off a weekend of celebration for SF Pride on Friday night, someone attacked these two young women. Police don't yet have a suspect or a motivation for the crime, so we don't know whether their relationship or sexual orientation played a factor. But these women had so much in front of them, and it is shocking and sad to hear how that has been disrupted by the attack.

As Kristene is without health insurance and will need significant medical attention during her treatment and recovery, many are contributing to a fund for her health care costs. I chose to make my monthly donation here, and I hope that you'll consider joining me. Kristene will need support from her family, friends, and larger community in the time to come, and this is a way to help from afar.