Man Paralyzed After Being Shot While Returning Home From Church
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A Baltimore man's wife says he was paralyzed in a shooting after returning home from church Monday night.
"We heard two shots, bam bam......oh God" says Sallie Yancy-Boodram, wife of Genesh Boodram who was shot.
The vivid images will haunt Yancy-Boodram forever as she describes the moments her husband was shot just outside their West Forest Park home.
"I looked out the window and my husband was laying on the ground. I was like, 'Oh no, oh no,'" Yancy-Boodram said.
On Monday night, shots rang out in the 4200 block of Fairfax Rd just before 10:30 p.m.
The victim's wife says they had just returned home from church, and her husband came back outside to grab a couple of packages from the car. That's when he was shot two times in the stomach and immediately collapsed.
"When I went out, I started screaming. I just started screaming at the top of my voice," Yancy-Boodram said.
The 61-year-old victim remains hospitalized -- paralyzed from the waist down.
"When he was laying on the ground there, he told me, 'Sal, I can't move. I can't move,'" Yancy-Boodram said.
The family finds themselves at the center of Baltimore's recent spike in gun violence -- shootings that have spiraled out of control this month. The violent surge includes a woman who was shot in the head when carjacked in Highlandtown and a mother and daughter who were killed in a home invasion.
"We hate to have any victims of violence. In particular, when you have elderly people and children, that definitely strikes a different cord for us. Detectives are canvassing that area while we speak. We don't know if this was targeted, or random, that's something we're trying to get to the bottom of, right now," Baltimore City Police Capt. Jarron Jackson said.
As for her husband's shooter, Yancy-Boodram has a message.
"I would say that I forgive you, I forgive," she said.
Hoping that her heart of gold sticks in the minds of many.
"It's the heart -- people's heart needs to change. None of the candles, vigils, legislation will work unless people's hearts change. They need to think, what if this was their grandfather? Or grandmother? Or their own kids? The only thing you can do instead of hating people is to show them love," Yancy-Boodram said.
Yancy-Boodram says they're hopeful that Boodram's paralyzation is temporary.
She says her and Boodram were getting ready to celebrate their anniversary in June and that the two of them "are always on their honeymoon."
No suspects have been identified at this time. Police say they're unsure whether this was a targeted or random attack.
As of Tuesday, Baltimore City is at 29 homicides.
Detectives are asking anyone with information about this shooting to call them at 410-396-2221 or Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7lockup.
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