The victim of an armed robbery at an Arlington gas station is recovering. The shooting sent the store clerk, Vipin Sharma, to the ICU in July. More than three weeks later, he's finally out of the hospital, getting ready to close up the shop he and his wife manage.
"The pain is like somebody's ripping your muscle both ways," said Sharma.
According to JSO, Sharma was shot in the abdomen when 38-year-old Sherwin Birt came in, pointed a gun at him, and demanded money. Sharma gave Birt the money willingly, but was shot anyway.
Sharma was released from the hospital Friday afternoon. He is still wearing his hospital band. "My health is failing, I can't sit down for more than 10 minutes, can't sit for more than five," he said.
The convenience store is open for a few hours a day, but they are not selling gas. Sharma's planning on closing shop before the end of the month.
"I wanted to say my goodbye," Sharma said, who said the community has been rallying around him.
"These people are really sweet. He didn't deserve what he got," said Joann Hemaid. "They're like family to me."
He's left with about $12,000 in bills to pay. So far, about $7,000 has been raised through their GoFundMe.
"People are donating generously, and I say this from the bottom of my heart, thank you," said Sharma.
He said his wife has breast cancer, and more surgeries are coming. "I still have a hand surgery to go to, the bullet entered from here, broken all my bones so my hand is not straight, all these bones are broken upwards," he said.
Sharma is thankful for the community's support and hopeful for a speedy recovery.