Armed man in wheelchair tried to abduct 6-year-old girl before shooting her father outside gym
HOUSTON, Texas -- A dad shot in front of his young daughter on Father's Day by a masked man in a wheelchair is recovering at home and shedding some light on a possible motive.
Nehemias "Alex" Olmedo, 39, was shot twice as he and his 6-year-old daughter were leaving the 24 Hour Fitness in Midtown on June 16. One bullet is still lodged in his lower back.
RELATED: Masked man in wheelchair shoots man outside 24 Hour Fitness, police say
"They said they'd leave that one there because it would cause more damage to take it out," Olmedo explained.
He was released from the hospital on July 4. Doctors told him he still has months of recovery ahead of him. What led up to the shooting is still puzzling.
"It's just unusual. It doesn't make sense. I find it difficult to believe it was just random," Olmedo said.
The shooting happened around 1 p.m. on Father's Day. Olmedo spent about an hour doing cardio while his daughter was in the gym's Kids' Club.
As they were leaving, he says a man wearing a mask and in wheelchair started following him. He quickly put his daughter in the car and as he got in, he was shot.
"I just saw the weapon and I jumped at him and I tried to take it away from him," Olmedo said. Then, he says, his body went numb.
Surveillance video from minutes later, obtained by ABC13, shows a man in a wheelchair quickly rolling away from the scene on Elgin as an ambulance is responding. Not long after, Houston police arrested Joey Harper, 27, an amputee. They say he still had the mask and gun.
Harper, Olmedo says, may have been after his daughter.
"I was informed later on by the police he attempted to take her out, but you need my fingerprints to do it."
Olmedo said police told him Harper tried to get his daughter from the gym's Kids' Club but couldn't. Olmedo said he does not know Harper.
Harper is charged with having a gun as a felon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He remains in jail with a $200,000 bond.
Olmedo's family created a GoFundMe campaign to help with his medical expenses.
24 Hour Fitness Statement previously responded with a statement:
24 Hour Fitness is aware of the incident that took place on Sunday, June 16 near our club location at 3201 Louisiana Street, Houston, TX. The safety of our members, team members and guests is a top priority for 24 Hour Fitness. We are working closely with local authorities and as this is an active investigation, we cannot discuss details. We are referring questions to the Houston Police Department.
