On the night of September 15th, 2015 my brother Eddy was shot in the knee during an armed robbery. I never learned all the details surrounding this event but I know that my brother was specifically targeted by the man who robbed and shot him.

My mom was close by when it happened and she took Eddy to the hospital. She was not allowed to see my brother while he was being questioned by the police and she was detained for questioning until 6am the following morning. The police searched and impounded my brother’s car and later searched his apartment, removing the Ruger Mk. III pistol he kept there.1 My brother, the victim of a violent crime, was treated like he was a suspect in his own shooting. My mother was treated as an accomplice.

Eddy’s attacker was eventually convicted for the attack on my brother, as well as a murder he committed later that same evening. Eddy’s statements to the police were used as evidence in the conviction.

Eddy left Tucson in the summer of 2016 to live with Susan and me. Our family wanted to make sure that he was out of reach of any retribution from his attacker’s friends and we wanted to help him with his recovery.

We were able to go shooting together again. Our relationship had dropped off in the years since I left for Washington, and going shooting together was one of the familiar things that helped us reconnect. It is to Eddy’s credit that so shortly after being shot he was able to go out with me to a gun range and conquer any lingering fear of gunshots. Eddy’s entire journey here in Washington was filled with that kind of courage.


Notes

1 My mother would spend years trying to get our family pistol out of police custody. I don’t know if she ever got it back.