Bystander in north Houston drive-by shooting may never be able to walk again

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston man may never be able to walk again after he was shot in the back during a drive-by shooting in a north Houston neighborhood.

Houston Police officers responded to a shooting around 12:40 a.m. on June 28 in the 600 block of Rushcreek Drive.

When officers arrived to the scene they found two men shot, including 30-year-old Anthony Perez who was shot in the back.

Perez spoke with ABC13 from his hospital bed on Saturday.

"I have no insurance. No family," Perez said. "I'm about this close to being put out on the streets behind something that had nothing to do with me. When I was working to get my life back together, and now it's been completely destroyed for the rest of my life. I'll probably never walk again."

Perez said he was on his way home from work when he stopped at a neighborhood convenience store. When he was walking out, two vehicles pulled up, and the suspects started shooting at the crowd of people in the parking lot.

Police said there was no motive, and investigators believe there were five male suspects in two different vehicles. One of the vehicles is a white SUV and the other a dark colored Sedan. No other information has been provided.

"I want the violence to stop," Perez said. "That's to the thugs that are out there shooting up streets just for fun, or whatever reason they may be shooting them up. You're changing lives. You're destroying lives."

Perez said he is open and transparent about his troubled past involving crime. He said he had a rough life while in foster care. He said he just got out of prison. His criminal history lists multiple arrests including tampering and a robbery charge in 2015.

Perez said he was working and getting his life back on track, but he ended up at the wrong place at the wrong time. Following the shooting, he has had multiple surgeries and is paralyzed in his lower body.

Perez said this shooting is one of the latest in a string of random gun violence incidents in the area, but he hopes someone will see his story, do the right thing and help stop the violence.

"With the way gun violence is in this country and in this state, I 100% blame our politicians," Perez said. "I blame everyone because this has gotten out of hand. I've never in my life seen anything like this. It's like open warfare."

A GoFundMe page has been started to help Perez with medical expenses and treatment.

Anyone with information in this case is urged to contact the HPD Major Assaults & Family Violence Division at 713-308-3600 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

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