(Please note before reading this article will discuss firearm injury.)
On February 2, 2025, Lakshmi Karra, MD, MS, Family Medicine Physician for Denver Health, Assistant Professor in the CU Anschutz Department of Family Medicine, with training from CU Family Medicine Residency (CUFMR) and Mark Malham, MS, the University of Colorado Anshutz School of Medicine, medical student, ran to the aid of Ben Varga, a 23-year-old recent CU Boulder graduate student who was hit in the neck by a bullet during a Denver Washington (Wash) Park shooting.
Amid a group of shocked and frozen bystanders, Dr. Karra and Mr. Malham’s instincts kicked in as they saw Mr. Varga injured on the ground.
As a family doctor with training from CUFMR and a vast array of experiences of acute care, chronic disease management, and preventive medicine, Dr. Karra felt a calling to jump into action, “I do a lot of my work within the hospital and clinic setting, so this was a different environment for me. However, to some extent, it was a little bit of instinct to help.”
After ensuring her daughter was safe with a friend, Dr. Karra ran to Mr. Varga’s side, grabbing the picnic blanket he brought to use with friends, and began to apply pressure.
“Once I got to Ben’s side. I wasn't really thinking about the person with the gun anymore. I was really focused on Ben and what I could do to be with him, support him, and keep him alive until the ambulance got there.”
Dr. Karra was shortly joined by Mr. Malham, who also saw Mr. Varga in critical pain. These two strangers swiftly became a team, both using the medical skills and knowledge they had to help.
Mr. Malham, who is a Marine Corps Combat veteran, is no stranger to an emergency, or high-intensity situations. However, this situation was different, as he was in an unpredictable environment without a team to protect him as he worked.
“My attention was consumed by the critical steps I had to take to give Ben a chance, and I couldn’t afford to be distracted by anything else. I wasn’t thinking about the shooter still present on the scene”.
As they worked on Mr. Varga, paramedics were unable to run to their aid until the police arrived and secured the surroundings.
Although neither Dr. Karra nor Mr. Malham think they saved Mr. Varga’s life, their bravery and quick thinking, without a doubt, had a huge impact on his life. They showed him he wasn’t alone at that moment.
“I don’t look at it as ‘saving a life.’ I just think about the fact that I was there, and in that moment, I could do something. What mattered was acting in the moment, and being present and doing what I could, without hesitation. It’s a reminder that we all have the potential to make a difference when we step up and act, no matter how small the action may seem. I was just fortunate to be in a position to help.” Mr. Malham explained.
“I don't think I saved his life, but I know that he wasn't alone. I feel really glad that I was able to be there on that day” Dr. Karra shared. She also sees this as an important opportunity to discuss the real issue at hand, gun violence in our community. She noted that Mr. Varga and the countless other shootings that occur almost daily, would never happen if we addressed the issue of guns in our community.
“We are doctors and we're also members of our community. If gun violence is something you don't want in your community, you have not just a right, but perhaps an obligation to advocate on behalf of policies, laws, and regulations that keep our communities safer.”
Mr. Malham agrees and advocates for the need to educate our community, “To me, this highlights a larger issue. There is a disconnect in how we as a community respond to gun violence. Many people still find it difficult to believe that something like this could happen, even in a place as peaceful as Wash Park. But the reality is that none of us are trained for these situations, and when violence erupts, we often don’t know how to react. We can’t blame people for not acting in the heat of the moment, but we can do better by preparing ourselves and our communities for the unexpected.”
Dr. Karra had the chance to visit Mr. Varga and his family at Denver Health, which she described as a beautiful moment, and that his mom had already invited her to Thanksgiving dinner. She also discovered that Mr. Varga is a triplet, and his sister will be working at Denver Health in the labor and Delivery unit, the same as Dr. Karra. They will be colleagues, working alongside one another.
Thank you, Dr. Karra and Mr. Malham, for your bravery, your skills, and your advocacy on this important issue.
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Learn more about the efforts our campus is making to address firearm injury prevention through the work of the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative and the Farley Health Policy Center.
- The Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative (FIPI) strives to prevent firearm-related injuries and deaths in homes and communities across Colorado and the U.S. through collaboration, research, and education.
- The Farley Center partners with FIPI and conducts policy research studies, creates briefs summarizing the evidence for policy options at the national and state levels, and tracks legislation intended to reduce firearm injury in Colorado during the General Assembly.
- Register to attend the Farley Center’s monthly legislative updates using their form if you’d like to keep up with firearms and other legislation that impacts Coloradans’ health.
Pictured left to right: Lakshmi Karra, MD, MS, and Mark Malham, MS.
(Cover photo provided by Dr. Lakshmi Karra – on behalf of the Varga family)