'I'm Shot! I'm Hit!': Uptown Mass Shooting Survivor Recounts Night Of Chaos
[UPDATE - June 23, 2020: Minneapolis Police have updated their reporting on the Uptown incident, and have said that Cody Pollard was actually shot and killed near 7th Street and First Avenue in downtown Minneapolis. What follows is the story as it originally ran.]
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- With crutches in hand and barely able to move on his own, Sammie Abraham feels lucky to be alive as he left Hennepin Healthcare Monday afternoon.
"Twelve people were shot. Those 12 people could have died," Abraham said.
Just after midnight Sunday, he and a friend went to Hoban Korean BBQ in Uptown and got in line outside. Within a minute, he said gunfire rang out.
"Soon as I hear that, I fall to the ground," he said.
As he took cover, a bullet hit his leg and remains lodged in his thigh. Another grazed his arm. Instead of immediately worrying about his injuries, he said he tried calming the others around him who were also taking cover. Some of them were also shot.
"I called for the bouncer, I'm like, 'I'm shot! I'm shot! I'm hit!' So he came and grabbed me, he took my inside," Abraham said.
READ MORE: 'It's Just Stupid': Police Data Shows 1,600 Minneapolis Gunfire Reports Within 30 Days
Restaurant staff and a friend tended to his wounds. Witnesses described hearing dozens of gunshots with bullets flying all through the crowd. Police scanner audio revealed victims were showing up to the hospital, driven there by civilians as officers worked to safely get ambulances close to the scene.
"I'm just looking around at [the chaos], you know, at the scene. One person is dead here, someone's being carried there," Abraham said.
He says a police officer and a bystander ended up carrying him to a nearby ambulance. While he recovered at Hennepin Healthcare, his thoughts the rest of Father's Day were with his sons.
"My two children could have been without me right now. There's other children. There's parents that could be without their kids," he said.
There is one family that lost a father to the shooting in Uptown. Family members say Cody Pollard, a well-known barber from St. Paul and father of two, was killed. Abraham said some of his friends were Pollard's customers.
"Nobody should have to bury, especially anybody at a young age, over senseless killings," Abraham said.
READ MORE: 9 Hurt In 3 Separate North Minneapolis Shootings Within 4 Hours
News of more shootings across the city further upset Abraham, knowing that the community is still grieving over the death of George Floyd.
"We're protesting for stuff like that. Why are we still doing stuff like this that overshadows what the point that we're trying to make?" Abraham said.
As police follow up on leads on the case, the FBI is getting involved. A spokesperson tells us the agency is ready to lend a helping hand with any intelligence or investigative resources in the days ahead. Police have not released information about potential suspects or motive.
Abraham said he has at least 6-8 months of physical and occupational therapy ahead in order to learn how to walk again. If you'd like to help him pay for his recovery, you can make a donation by clicking here.
