Houston Gas was just six months into his marriage when the unthinkable happened. While responding to what seemed like a routine domestic disturbance call, he opened a door and was met with a shotgun blast directly to his face at point-blank range. The catastrophic damage left him temporarily blind, with his chin hanging down to his collarbone, and his face and body riddled with shotgun pellets that remain there to this day.

But this isn't just a story about trauma and injury. It's about the extraordinary human capacity for resilience, forgiveness, and finding purpose in the aftermath of life-altering events. Houston takes us through his harrowing journey – from the moments immediately following the shooting when he couldn't see and was desperately searching for his weapon, through the dozens of surgeries to reconstruct his face and neck, to the emotional toll it took on him and his family.

Perhaps most remarkable is what happened eighteen months later when Houston came face-to-face with the man who shot him. In a moment that left the courtroom silent, Houston did something few could imagine – he offered forgiveness. "I didn't want to carry around the burden of hatred anymore," he explains with profound simplicity. "It's draining. It may make you feel powerful for a little bit, but it eats your soul away."

Throughout our conversation, Houston offers invaluable insights about support systems for injured officers, the challenges of finding a new identity when the job that defined you is suddenly gone, and how departments can better "walk with their wounded." His candid discussion about contemplating his own death scene and finding the strength to continue reveals the often-hidden psychological battles that injured officers face.

Now working with Code 3 Technology after retiring from a 26-year law enforcement career, Houston continues to serve the police community in a new capacity. His story is a powerful reminder of the sacrifices officers make, the resilience of the human spirit, and how forgiveness can be the ultimat

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