Josue Camuse says he's lucky to be alive. The 12-year-old is at home recovering after he and a friend were shot while waiting for the school bus in the Pinewood area of NW Miami-Dade on Sept. 8.
“I saw the guy, but I didn't really think about it," said Camuse. "Then he tried to go for my phone, and I said no, and then he went for my friend's phone since my friend had an iPhone."
Camuse and the other 12-year-old victim didn’t hand over their phones, and that’s when he says things took a violent turn.
"He said 'give me the phone,' and put out the gun and it wasn't loaded, so he loaded it and said 'give me the phone or I'll blow you for real, for real'," said Camuse.
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Camuse was shot in the hand and leg. He still has a bullet lodged in his thigh. He also said his friend, the other 12-year-old victim, was shot in both legs but is already home and recovering.
Police made an arrest and say the 16-year-old shooter is facing several charges including attempted felony murder.
In court last week, the teen’s mother described her son as incompetent.
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“I don’t think he should be charged as an adult," said Crystal Mendoza, the suspect's mother. "I’ve been begging the judges and the court to help my son and enter him into a program for a very long time. No one has offered me any help for my son and it had to come to this."
