COLUMBUS, Ohio — A 24-year-old Columbus man was left paralyzed after he was hit with a stray bullet while sitting in a bar Monday night.
Maxwell Williams is paralyzed from the waist down, his family told 10TV.
The shooting happened around 11:15 P.M. at Dick’s Den, located at West Tomkins Street and North High Street.
Police found Williams inside the bar with one gunshot wound to his back. Police say the shot was fired from outside the building.
Michael Doody was inside the bar when the shooting happened. He heard a woman yell that a man was shot.
“At that point, everybody was quiet. It was surreal. Nobody was screaming,” he said.
At first, Doody thought Williams had fallen out of his chair. Then, he saw his friends rushing to help and rendering aid.
“Once we hear the man’s been shot, that’s when everybody was alert. That’s when I looked to see if the bullet was from the outside. Then, I looked and I could see the bullet hole that it was from the outside,” Doody said.
On his Facebook page, Williams wrote:
"I want to thank everybody for the outpouring of love and support. The last 24 hours have been a whirlwind but my friends and family have made this so much easier. I'm also grateful for the patrons at the bar who helped me out in my moment of need."
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe page for Williams has raised more than $74,000 dollars to help him with medical bills.
Police say there is no information about possible suspects as of now.
Williams’ sister, who lives in California, says that her brother worked at Nationwide Insurance in downtown Columbus.
The company issued the following statement regarding Williams's health:
"Max's health and well-being are our number one priority. The thoughts and prayers of his Nationwide family are with Max and we wish him a swift and full recovery. Our Associate Wellbeing and HR teams reached out immediately providing Max, his family, and his work team with AAP (Associate Assistance Program) services, resources and contacts and are making sure he and his family are aware of all the resources available to him and his family including our Associates Helping Associates program, which is an employee-funded, Nationwide Foundation matching program to provide financial assistance in crisis situations like this."