SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - An employee at a tire shop in West Miami-Dade is sharing his story after, he said, he was accidentally shot while on the job.
The shooting, caught on camera, occurred on Saturday evening at Gasparini Tire, located on the 7300 block of Southwest Eighth Street.
Speaking with 7News on Thursday, 20-year-old Andres Pirela, an immigrant from Venezuela, said he was being shown the gun of a former employee who appeared at his old workplace when the gun went off.
The bullet went through the trunk of the former employee and into Pirela’s leg.
“I find myself in the position that I’m in now. Nothing like this has happened to me before; it has made me desperate,” said Pirela.
Surveillance video shows the former employee pulling up to the tire shop and opening his trunk.
“He took out the gun to show it to a fellow employee. When he took it out, that’s when he shot me in the right leg,” said Pirela.
Pirela moved to the United States from Venezuela two years ago, and after working for two months at the shop, he now finds himself alone, injured and unable to work.
Since the shooting, Pirela has secured the services of attorney Amanda Demanda
“It was a complete shock to my client who was working there. His survival, his livelihood, depends on his physical ability to work,” said Demanda. “These types of unfortunate incidents really underscore the necessity to have gun safety.”
The video shows the shooter throwing the shell of the bullet across the parking lot.
“And then you see the person handling the gun pick up what appears to be the shell of that bullet and launch it across the parking lot,” said Demanda.
The man who shot the gun helped Pirela into his car, along with his wife and child, and drove him to the nearest emergency room.
Photos show where the bullet went in and came out of the other side.
The hospital bandaged him up and sent him home. He was told he might need surgery down the road for a possible torn tendon.
“I’m a person who is here by myself in this country, working hard and well,” said Pirela. “For this to happen is something that has affected me quite a bit, to tell you the truth.”
A child is said to have been inches away from where the gun went off.
Pirela’s attorney said she is gathering all information and exploring possible legal action.
While a police report was filed in this case, there have been no arrests or citations made as of Thursday night.
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