Caught on video: Houston bartender shot while sleeping says neighbor was intended target

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Houston bartender is still recovering after being shot in both legs while asleep in his duplex, in what he believes was a targeted attack meant for someone else.

Six weeks after the shooting, Mario Arevalo says he is focused on healing and getting back to work - but also wants answers.

"I just want justice. I just want the right thing to happen," Arevalo said.

In the early morning hours of March 5, a neighbor's doorbell camera captured video of a small car pulling up in the 100 block of Goldenrod on the near Houston's northside. The video shows a man getting out of the vehicle holding a weapon, walking out of the garage, and begins firing.

At the time, Arevalo was asleep inside his side of the duplex.

"It was like 3 in the morning. I was awoken to the sound of a rattling thunder. It was really, really loud," he said. "As I was coming to, I realized it was a gun - and that's when I tried to get out of bed."

The video captures the sound of rapid gunfire. Moments later, the suspect is seen returning to the car and driving away, weapon in hand. Arevalo realized he had been shot.

"As I'm trying to get out of bed, it was like blood going everywhere," he said. "I was like, 'Holy - I've been shot.' I called 911. Fight or flight kicks in," he said.

Arevalo was hit in both legs. He underwent surgery to remove a bullet and fragments and is still recovering weeks later. In fact, doctors just removed a bullet that was lodged in his big toe on Monday.

He says he's grateful the shooting wasn't worse - and that his dog, a Yorkshire terrier, was unharmed.

Friends have since helped him move out of the duplex, but the injuries have kept him from returning to his bartending job, which requires him to remain on his feet throughout the shift.

"You can just walk up to a house and shoot it up," he said. "I'm lucky to be alive, but that was a huge gun," he said, pointing to the large weapon seen in the video.

Arevalo believes the gunman may have been targeting the neighbor who lived on the other side of the duplex, not him.

Neighbors have shared videos and social media posts with police that they believe may identify a suspect and the intended target. However, Houston police say that information remains unconfirmed.

Investigators have not announced any arrests.

For Arevalo, the focus remains on recovery - and accountability.