(WSVN) - A South Florida man rushed to the hospital after being shot is accusing paramedics of taking his valuables as he was being transported. 7’s Brian Entin investigates.
Edward Roberts: “I was coming from my cousin’s house, and a guy walked up to me and started shooting, and shot me like six times.”
In March, Roberts was shot in the chest, under his arms, finger, thigh and even his toe.
Edward Roberts: “I didn’t know what for, or why, or anything.”
Rescue crews rushed him to Jackson South, where doctors saved his life.
But as he began to recover, Roberts said he noticed some valuables were missing.
Edward Roberts: “I woke up and I asked my family, I said, ‘Do y’all have my jewelry?’ And no one knows where the jewelry is.”
He claims he was wearing a gold necklace and bracelet that belonged to his sons. A family heirloom from his late uncle was also gone, a ring given to him on Father’s Day.
One of the bullets was lodged in his ring finger and, Roberts said, it was removed by paramedics.
Edward Roberts: “He said, ‘You got a gunshot wound to your finger. I have to remove it because your hand is swelling,’ he said, and once he took it off, I just laid there and stayed calm until I got to the hospital.”
Miami-Dade Fire Rescue investigated the incident and released a statement to 7News that read, “A ring was noticed on his finger and left in place in order to avoid further injury.”
Jackson South, in a statement, said, “There were no possessions or belongings documented upon his arrival, including the EMS report, the trauma patient log, and nursing documentation.”
7News also obtained a copy of the police evidence log, and in it, there’s no mention of a ring or any jewelry.
Edward Roberts: “I can’t understand how it was just taken and nobody don’t really know nothing.”
Jackson Hospital officials said they checked their safe and found no items belonging to Roberts inside.
Roberts’ wife was advised to speak with the EMS crew and file a report with Miami-Dade Police.
Cheryl Robinson, attorney: “We know that there’s something that existed, and at some point, it disappeared. That disappearance becomes a problem.”
Robinson said hospitals are obligated to keep track of every patient’s belongings.
Cheryl Robinson: “He has the right to rely on them and they have a responsibility to protect his property.”
For Roberts, he said recovering is what’s most important to him — both with his health and jewelry that went missing.
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