TAMPA, Florida — It was a traumatic scene for dozens who were caught in the middle of gunfire over Halloween weekend in Ybor City.
Shots rang out in early Sunday morning after Halloween celebrations wrapped up.
An 18-year-old Tampa woman recalled running when she heard the gunshots.
Emily Perez said she suddenly fell and shortly after realized that she had been shot multiple times.
"It was scary when I fell to the ground, I was out in the open," she said. "Shots were still going as I fell."
Her friend, who was also running from the gunfire, ran back to help Perez. That's when Perez said her friend had been shot as well.
"She saw me go down and she tried to go back for me and she ended up getting hit trying to save me," she said.
Perez remembered she was lying on the ground in pain. A police officer came to her side and helped put pressure on her gunshot wounds.
The teen said there were so many people around her lying on the ground who had also been shot.
"It was actually really scary because there were multiple bodies just next to me," Perez recalled.
She was shot in her back and leg and was rushed to St Joseph's Hospital where she was treated for both gunshot wounds.
Perez said her friend was more seriously injured and she was brought to Tampa General Hospital.
The 18-year-old said her friend has to undergo another surgery this week, but both women will need to learn how to walk again.
"It’s painful to walk and get out of bed and do a lot of things that I used to do," Perez said.
The night is still traumatic for Perez to think about.
"I just keep replaying it in my head and hearing the gunshots go off," she said.
As Perez recovers at home, she is unable to work. The 18-year-old college student works at Chipotle on South Howard Avenue in Tampa. Since she is accruing medical bills and not working, her coworkers are holding a fundraiser. The fundraiser will be Wednesday, Nov. 1 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the restaurant.
For those who can't attend, her aunt created a GoFundMe. All of the money will go to Perez to help her pay for her medical bills.