Pulitzer Winner Took Photo on His Last Day at Work

The winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news photography now works in a brewery. It was Ryan Kelly's last day of work at the Daily Progress when he captured a car slamming into a crowd of people protesting a white nationalist gathering last year in Charlottesville, Va., the paper reports. Kelly, a 31-year-old who had worked at the Progress since 2013, now runs social media for Ardent Craft Ales. "It is very bizarre right now to be sitting in a cushy office, talking about websites and calendars and beer promotions when 48 hours ago I was in the middle of the biggest news story I’ve ever covered in my career," he told Poynter days after the Aug. 12 incident, which killed 32-year-old Heather Heyer.

The photo "reflected the photographer’s reflexes and concentration in capturing the moment of impact of a car attack during a racially charged protest," the Pulitzer board said, per PDN. "Ryan's picture encapsulates the trauma and tragedy we experienced as a community last year and still have not finished processing," says Progress editor Aaron Richardson. "The Pulitzer is a fitting honor for a gifted, dedicated photographer and colleague." Kelly says that while he is proud to receive the award, he hasn't forgotten that it involves a horrific event. "The violence was terrible and I’m still heartbroken for the injured, and especially Heather Heyer’s family," he says. (Kendrick Lamar made history with his Pulitzer win.)