ST. LOUIS -- A man shot multiple times during an attempted carjacking shared his terrifying story for the first time.
The victim of a shooting in the 3900 block of Wyoming Street, Bradley Calise, had stopped by to visit a friend. It’s when he walked back to his car that he was approached by the carjackers.
"In my memory, everything is completely pitch black around me,” said Calise.
Even though it was about 4:30 p.m., Calise said everything went dark. He said one, possibly two men, came up to him as he walked to his car.
“He said, ‘give me your keys or I'm going to shoot you,’” explained Calise. “And that's when I saw that gun in his hand and then I think I just completely blanked there and stepped back and then started running.”
As Calise ran, one of the men fired two-to-three shots into his abdomen and legs. Then, the suspects took off and several people in the neighborhood ran over to Calise.
“So, I wasn’t coming in and out of consciousness so much as I was coming in and out of reality,” he said. “But, I knew these people were around me and I knew they were taking care of me."
Good Samaritans were caught on camera helping Calise until first responders arrived.
Calise was rushed to the hospital and taken into surgery. Since then, Calise has been on the minds and hearts of quite a few people.
"We just hope and pray that you are recovering and that you get the time you need and come back to us,” said MICDS parent, Julie Wurdack.
"We miss you so much and our school is just not the same without you,” said Jessica Brooks, a sophomore at MICDS.
Calise is the Administrative Assistant for Student Concerns at Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School (MICDS).
“He’s the first person everyone sees each morning and its always great to see his smile,” said Brooks.
It is Calise’s smile and never-ending positivity that people are drawn to.
“While I'm not a religious person, I can almost say that I am blessed by how much I am loved by the people in my life,” Calise said.
Calise’s first follow-up appointment is next week. He said he will have a better idea of what’s next in his recovery once he meets with his doctors.
Police said no arrests have been made, but two suspects have been identified.
