A South Florida teen is recovering after being shot while he was sleeping inside an RV where is family is staying due to financial trouble made worse by coronavirus.
“It was this close to touching my stomach, my abdominals but it was just my skin you know,” 15-year-old Wilson Mendoza said from his hospital bed Thursday at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Mendoza said he felt very fortunate that he’s able to speak about what happened to him Wednesday night.
His home these days is an RV in the back of a residence in Northeast Miami-Dade. His mom, dad and sister ended up there due to the family’s financial situation.
“My dad lost his job due to COVID-19, but everything is in the Lord’s hands,” he said.
The shooting was reported in the 14700 block of Buchanan Street in Richmond Heights.
“I heard a shot. I first felt it on my arm because I couldn’t feel my arm and I had a lot of pain, you know. My dad stood up and he turned the lights on, and I saw the blood in my stomach,” Mendoza said.
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Paramedics rushed Mendoza to the hospital. Photos of the aftermath showed blood inside the RV.
Wilson thinks he will be going home soon, but doesn’t want to return to the RV or the neighborhood.
“I don’t feel comfortable going home because I don’t feel secure. I don’t feel comfortable when you are at home with your parents and with your family. I just don’t feel it anymore,” Mendoza said.
Miami-Dade Police are on the lookout for those who were involved in the shooting. The family is looking for assistance so that they can move, especially after the violence they experienced.
