Sammy Kaid, 47, was shot just seconds apart at his bodega in South Ozone Park. The first time he was shot with a handgun - but that wasn't enough for the shooter. The suspect then returned with an AR-15 assault tile.
"The first assumption is that he's gone. Thank god he made it out," said Sammy's nephew, Mohammad Kaid, who works in the store part-time.
Bullet holes and shell casings littered the bodega from the attack - an attack that could have easily been deadly. Thankfully, Sammy is in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery.
"He felt like he was in another world when he got - he didn't know. He was screaming for help," said Mohammad.
The NYPD says Donnie Hudson, 35, was arrested and charged with attempted murder and assault in connection to the shooting. Police recovered both the handgun and rifle.
"I am shocked. I knew the guy, that's the crazy part about it - I knew him," said customer Louis Torres, "For someone to do that, it's just sad."
Torres even help set up a GoFundMe page to help Sammy as he recovers at home.
Sammy says he is grateful to be alive and that he is still processing what happened this week. As for safety. He is taking new measures to make sure all employees inside the bodega are safe. One of the first things is to upgrade the camera system and to plan on putting bulletproof glass all around.
As for moving forward, Sammy and his family want justice to be served and to avoid a violent, dramatic attack like this from ever happening again.
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