MIAMI (WSVN) - A young boy who recently moved to South Florida is speaking out from his hospital bed as he continues to recover after he was struck by a stray bullet during a drive-by shooting.
The 8-year-old victim, Pierre Joseph, and his father recently moved to Miami, and are now left to wonder how something like this could happen. They both spoke with 7News Tuesday about the recovery process while at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Joseph is now in a lot of pain after he was shot while playing with a basketball outside of his North Miami house. “I was outside playing with the other kids and somebody started shooting,” said the boy through a translator. “I heard pow, pow, pow. I got hit in the leg. I was able to get up on one foot and get to a door and ask for help, but I couldn’t hear anyone.”
A cell phone video recorded Joseph as he cried on his neighbor’s living room floor after he was shot.
He was then rushed to Ryder Trauma Center, Wednesday night. Joseph has had two surgeries to his leg, but bullet fragments remain inside, as of Tuesday.
“The person who did this, I think is a criminal,” Joseph said through a translator.
According to North Miami Police, this incident was a drive-by shooting. The shooter or shooters remain on the run.
Officials said a man and a woman were also shot by someone in a speeding car, near Northwest 128th Street and 12th Avenue.
“Why me?” asked the victim’s father.
The father and son moved to the U.S. from Haiti two months ago for a better life. Despite the pain, there is a lot of relief that the bullets didn’t hit any major arteries.
The 8-year-old said he’s still scared, as he thinks about the night he was shot, but he’s ready to be out of the hospital. “I would like to thank God, my mom, my dad, my friends and family, and my classmates and everyone who has been praying for me,” he said.
It will take some time for the victim’s leg to heal and for him to be able to walk again.
North Miami Police said they continue to work on leads but have not made any arrests as yet.
If you have any information on this shooting, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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