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Long Line Forms At Texas Capitol To Donate Blood Following El Paso Shooting

Carissa Suarez and Dusana Schnell (center) stand in line outside the Capitol to give blood during a blood drive following the mass shooting in El Paso.
Gabriel C. Pérez
/
KUT
Carissa Suarez and Dusana Schnell (center) stand in line outside the Capitol to give blood during a blood drive following the mass shooting in El Paso.

Dozens and dozens of people waited for hours at the Texas Capitol building to give blood during a donation drive Monday. The We Are Blood event was inspired by the need for blood in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, even though the blood donated here will stay in this area.

The Central Texas blood bank  said it stands ready to "help neighbors across Texas – and the country – if needed."

The surge in blood donations in Austin came the day after  hundreds lined up in El Paso to donate blood following the deadly shooting there Saturday. The El Paso Police Department put out an urgent request for blood donations after 26 people were wounded.

As of Monday afternoon, 22 people died from the mass shooting.

Phillip Lybrand with We Are Blood told KUT's Joseph Leahy the response has been incredible. He said appointments filled up completely within a few hours of making them available.

"This morning we had such a large turn-out from walk-ins that we had to bring in a second bus to accommodate everybody," Lybrand said.

We Are Blood has three donation locations around Austin. You can visit WeAreBlood.org to  make an appointment

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Andy Jechow is the social media coordinator for KUT News. After graduating from American University in Washington, D.C., with a bachelor's degree in international studies, he returned home to Texas — in need of greasy Tex-Mex — and became a TV news producer. Before joining KUT in November 2018, he worked as a digital content producer at Austin NBC affiliate KXAN News. When he's not at work, Andy enjoys attending book signings and watching classic movies.