The Decatur community is rallying around a local cook who was shot in the face at a traffic light last weekend while driving home from his restaurant.
The gunshot victim, identified in an online fundraiser as Gerardo, had just finished his shift at Universal Joint on Saturday morning when a man approached his car at the intersection of East Lake Drive and Park Place and fired a single shot through his driver’s-side window.
Gerardo managed to drive away from the scene before flagging down a Decatur officer near Oakhurst Village about 1:15 a.m., police said previously.
He remained at the hospital Thursday afternoon awaiting surgery to remove the bullet lodged in his jaw, according to Angela Waddy, the restaurant’s general manager.
The fundraising page she launched to cover her head cook’s hospital expenses and buy Christmas gifts for his wife and 11-year-old son has raised more than $23,000.
“He will need help with medical bills and we are also hoping to make sure that his son has an amazing Christmas despite this unfortunate event,” she wrote. “He mentioned that this will be the first time he’s ever been away from his family during Christmas and for this long. He has still not been allowed visitors.”
Decatur police have not made any arrests in the case, and it’s still unclear what prompted the shooting. Authorities said the suspect is between 40 and 45 years old. He was last seen running away from the intersection wearing a gray shirt and a black stocking cap.
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