MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — After Jacob Weaver was shot once in the back while at work on the morning of March 27, he’s been left paralyzed from the waist down. He says he’s now fearful for his life after his accused attacker has bonded out of jail.
WKRG News 5 spoke with Jacob as he lay in a hospital bed still hooked up to tubes at USA Medical while still in critical condition.
“I didn’t see this coming,” cried Weaver. “Now I might be paralyzed for the rest of my life, bro.”
Jacob Weaver was starting his morning at work at Affordable Tires on Hamilton Boulevard in Theodore. He says he was working on a car until he felt numb.
“I’m working on a vehicle, and next thing I know I started to stand up, and my hands went numb and everything,” said Weaver. “I thought the tire blew up on me. But it wasn’t that, I was shot in the back.”
Mobile Police say they went to Affordable Tires on Monday morning, where they noticed Weaver sustained life-threatening injuries.
Mobile Police arrested and charged Weaver’s coworker, Hunter Uptagrafft, 23, with attempted murder. Weaver says he doesn’t understand why this happened.
“I wouldn’t argue with him,” said Weaver. “I wouldn’t. None of that. I wouldn’t go back and forth with him. I haven’t had no beef with him. I don’t know.”
The road to recovery has not been easy for Weaver or his mother, Margie England. She says her son was doing much better as of Saturday, but she doesn’t know if he will keep improving or if his health will decline.
“It’s been hard to sit and watch one of your children laying there and they can’t do nothing,” said England. “And they’re fighting to stay alive. It’s hard. All I can do is pray. That’s all I know to do.”
Doctors were able to remove the bullet from Weaver, and he explains that it did substantial damage to his body.
“The bullet went through my back,” explained Weaver. “Through my spine, and in my left lung, and through my right and lodged in my right arm, so I’m messed up, man.”
His accused attacker and coworker, Uptagrafft, was released on a $50,000 bond Wednesday, March 29. His family says they were not aware of Uptagrafft making his bond–causing Jacob to fear for his safety.
“I’m worried,” said Weaver. “I’m scared because I can’t move around. It be different if I could move around and if I could defend myself.”
Aside from just praying for her son, England is pleading for others to think twice before picking up a gun.
“You just don’t pull a gun and shoot somebody in the back for nothing,” said England. “You thought about what you was going to do before you pull that trigger! Their son is walking around, my son is laying in that hospital up there!”
Weaver’s family is still unsure how many surgeries he is going to have, and how long he will remain in the hospital.
