TAMPA, Fla. — Lucky to be alive is another 20-year-old injured in the deadly Ybor City shooting. He is speaking out while recovering at Tampa General Hospital.
On Saturday night, Jayden Fletcher, his girlfriend and niece got dressed up to celebrate Halloween.
They were out in Ybor City when things took a traumatic turn as shots fired into the crowd.
"I was actually having fun. All of a sudden we heard a commotion, and saw some guys arguing," Fletcher said in an exclusive interview with Angelina Salcedo. "Next thing you know, I felt a sharp pain hit me in the side of my stomach. I saw people running all around me. I didn’t see my girlfriend or her niece anywhere. I began to panic."
The shooting in Ybor City ended up being one of the most traumatic moments of their lives. Two people were killed and 16 others were injured. Fifteen of those 16 were shot and taken to the hospital.
"I tried to run, but I couldn’t help but fall to my knees," Fletcher recalled. "A police officer and an ex-military guy applied pressure to my wounds trying to stop the bleeding. Then I saw my girlfriend running towards me screaming my name.
"This is very traumatizing. Seeing all the bloody hurt people beside me being saved. I thought I wasn’t going to make it."
After being treated on scene, he was rushed to the hospital and into emergency surgery. Fletcher says he was given a blood transfusion following the amount of blood he lost immediately after he was shot. Videos show him on the ground with several people around him.
Fletcher moved to Lakeland from Georgia with his cousin last July but became homeless after two months. He's been trying to get back on his feet since. Now he says this shooting could set him back because he'll be unable to work and make money to pay his bills.
"I’ve been homeless for a year now trying to get on my feet. I met my girlfriend two days into moving to Florida and we've been together this whole time," he said. "Walking in Ybor looking at costumes was the first time in a long time since I've been homeless that I started to feel normal again.
"Now I have a huge exit wound on my back. I still can’t fully walk or eat. I was left with a nasty scar on my stomach and I’m still healing in the hospital, but at least I have my life."
While his family works to support him, they're raising funds to pay for his medical bills and pay for a place for him to stay once he's released. If you'd like to help him, you can donate here.
Doctors say he could be discharged within the next week.
Right now, the Tampa Police Department has 22-year-old Tyrell Phillips behind bars charged with second-degree murder.
Phillips reportedly told authorities he fired his gun after he said he waved to a former classmate and got into an altercation with the people who were with her. Detectives say he turned himself in at the scene.
So far, Phillips is facing charges for this shooting, but the FBI is now helping in the search for other people potentially involved. This online portal is where people can send in tips, including photos and videos. Tampa Chief of Police Lee Bercaw says the videos they received immediately after the incident helped them identify the shooter who's behind bars right now.
Detectives say they're looking for at least one to two more suspects, but there could be more people involved.
Police have thanked the public for sending in information about the case and continue to ask people to give them a call at 813-231-6130.
"We are truly grateful for the support of our community and all the tips they have provided investigators so far," Bercaw said in a statement. "We have partnered with the FBI to launch this website to make submitting additional tips easier. We encourage anyone who may have information to go to fbi.gov/tampashooting and submit any photos or videos that could aid in the investigation.
"Even if you are not sure if the tip will be helpful, it may be just the evidence our detectives need."