An innocent bystander was shot in broad daylight in Brooklyn on Wednesday, and it’s been reported that he will likely never walk again, according to the Daily Mail. This comes as gun violence has surged in New York City, where homicides have gone up by 29 percent to 244 individual cases from January 1 to August 2 compared to the same timeframe in 2019.
Sam Metcalfe, 33, managed to survive the shooting while 18-year-old, Malcolm Amede, was killed around the intersection of Ocean and Woodruff avenues in Flatbush—just south of Prospect Park.
It was reported that Amede was a suspected gang member, and is believed to have been the target of the attack.
A GoFundMe account was kicked off for Metcalfe and his wife, Sabrina, describing how the horrific event unfolded.
“On Wednesday, August 19, 2020, Sabrina and her husband Sam left their Brooklyn apartment to go to the store and get some toothpaste,” the organizer of the crowdfunding effort, Krysta Zagorski, wrote.
“She [Sabrina] told him [Sam] he didn’t need to come but he wanted to hold the umbrella for her because it was raining and the umbrella was broken.”
“While crossing an intersection less than five minutes from their building, shots rang out and Sam was hit.”
“The intended victim (not Sam) was also shot multiple times and died as a result.”
Zagorski added: “Almost immediately, Sam couldn’t feel his legs. We now know that the bullet hit his kidney and stopped when it hit his spine.”
“They removed his kidney but his condition is too fragile to attempt to remove the bullet just yet. Doctors are still trying to stop the bleeding and Sam will likely never walk again.”
“Sam and Sabrina have a long road ahead of them,” Zagorski wrote, adding that “medical expenses will come later but, right now, I need help supporting them in any way possible. Neither are working as Sam fights for his life and she [Sabrina] keeps vigil over him.”
“His journey to recovery will be long and, during that time, I don’t want either of them to have to worry about anything else.”
At the time of this writing, the GoFundMe account has managed to drum up nearly $45,000, exceeding its initial goal of $40,000.
The New York Post reported that Amede had been shot in the arms and chest, with law enforcement adding that they believe he is a member of the Crip gang and that the shooting was tied to gang warfare.
The Daily Mail reported that surveillance footage “released from the scene on Friday shows an unidentified gunman aiming a gun from the driver’s seat of a BMW SUV just before 3:30pm.” Video from the scene shows the aftermath of the shooting, with bystanders seen tending to Metcalfe and assuring him he was going to be OK.
“This neighborhood is becoming a shooting gallery. Why don’t it just stop?” one resident asked AM New York.
This comes as the city endures a summer of violent crime amid the death of criminal George Floyd, who passed away in police custody after overdosing on fentanyl. This is compounded by the fact that a BLM leader in New York suggested breaking in and looting stores was a permissible form of reparations—a system where black people are monetarily compensated for the treatment of slaves 160 years ago.
Police added that gang violence and turf wars have contributed to the shootings.
Just last month, shooting incidents across the city soared by 177 percent compared to last year. Murders are reportedly up 59 percent for the month, burglaries rose by 31 percent, and auto thefts increased 53 percent.