Yesterday evening, we told you about 22-year-old Delroy Matura, who had been shot up early yesterday morning on Neal’s Pen Road. As many as six and possibly seven nine millimeter shells hit him at close range, but he’s lived to tell his story – even with five of those bullets still inside of him. And he shared that story with me this morning.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
Delroy Matura, better known as Fang, has made it through the first twenty fours and the gun shot victim remains cautiously optimistic about his full recovery. But his injuries are severe and it is a miracle he has lived to tell his story.
Delroy Matura, Shooting victim
“When they came they came straight in the yard, me and my girl were standing up and they hauled out the gun and started to shoot. The first shot catch me in the middle of my stomach and then the next shot burst through here and then I pushed down my girl and I ran. They started to shoot up after me and I just bullet holes busting through me while I was running but I still managed to escape because I got shot in my foot and I felt like my foot got weak, my whole body got weak. But I said I won’t fail myself – I will try to be strong and try reach to safety.”
The next twenty fours will be critical as that will determine whether Matura will remain bed ridden or if he will be able to heal over a long period of time. A grim prognosis but the best that can be expected for a man who survived multiple gunshots at close range.
Delroy Matura,
“I get about four or five shots; one here and one in my foot…but I feel I will feel much better now than when they finished doing my surgery. They will cut the bullet out of me and then I think I will feel better.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
How is he looking to you today?
Andrea Figueroa, Sister of Shooting victim
“Well he just looks like he is swell up and thing but we are just praying to God that he gets better because it is my brother and I don’t want anything to happen to him. This is the first time for anyone of us in my family for like you know, something like your brother or your sister. It is the first time for we.”
Five of the seven bullets still remain in Matura’s body. On Wednesday, doctors at the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital fought for seven hours to save his life. The surgery included a complete blood transfusion and much more because Matura suffered major injuries to one of his lungs, his liver and a part of his intestine had to be removed. He recalls what it felt like as he was shot.
Delroy Matura,
“When I get shot I thought I would die but I wasn’t really frightened. Only when I got shot I felt the bullets busting through me. But after a while when the shooting done happened and the two persons went, then I felt a pain in here (pointing to his chest) and then one of the bullets went close to my heart but it went through and through so I managed to live but I didn’t really feel frightened to say I would frighten myself to death. I just tried to breathe longer, try to keep my strength because I felt like I was getting weak.”
While Matura and his family hopes for the best the police have yet to find their prime suspects Delron Sherwan and a person known only as Kyle or Biggy Smalls.
Shirley Matura, Mother of shooting victim
“I don’t know who because I wasn’t on that side Wednesday, I was on the other side of Pen Road working. So maybe if I was on that side I would have seen who it was. Once I was on the street where I was supposed to work and I saw them doing this, maybe I would have been the one to dead too because I would have rushed and helped him, I wouldn’t have let them do him that because he is my son.”
Matura admits he has lived a troubled life that has led to arrests and jail time. Now, many in the community, who are tired of the shootings and killings, may not have any sympathy for him but Matura claims he has tried to forget the past and has made that positive change.
Delroy Matura,
“I don’t have any idea what made them shot me because I don’t know them and I never trouble them. They must just take me for somebody else and shot me for no reason.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
You don’t think its maybe something you did in the past?
Delroy Matura,
“Those two guys, I don’t know them to know them. Everyday they pass and I never yet said anything to them or we don’t have any hard talk or we haven’t fight or anything. I don’t know them to talk to them. I just see them walk past me sometimes. I don’t even look in their direction. They just had the intention to come kill me.
Everyday when I get up, I talk to my girl and she talks to me. We understand one another, we don’t quarrel or frustrate nothing, stay happy and I don’t give nay trouble. I have my nice job. Everyday I go to work. If t don’t go to visit my mom, I go to my girl’s house; straight from the shop – straight home back or I don’t hang out in no crowd.”
But this is no case of mistaken identity. Matura admits that before opening fire – the killers got a good look at him and the only person with him was a young woman.
Delroy Matura,
“I saw the guys pass several times but I wasn’t paying it any mind. I saw after a while they double ride into the yard and they hauled out the thing and shot me. Most of the time I no time give trouble or say I go and mess with somebody. Most of the time they come and mess with me but when they come mess with me and do me things and I go do them thing then they run to the police. And then when I want to make my statement or do anything, the police don’t want me to do anything. So I just stay by myself or just look out so no one chance me.
The doctor told me either six or seven shots I got, two of the shots from in my stomach bust through my back. And then this one by my heart, bust through underneath. So I just pray for the best happen to me and those guys don’t come around me to come and do that again because I am not a trouble person.”
And while he says he is not a trouble person, tonight he is a man in medical trouble and it will be some time before doctors can tell if he will get cleanly out of it.
Police are looking for two men in connection with the shooting; they are: Dylan Sheran, known as “Randolph Samuels” and Carl Ramos known as “Biggs.”
