COLUMBUS, Ohio — Claire Williams said her younger brother Maxwell was sitting near the window at Dick’s Den Monday night enjoying jazz music.
That’s when he was shot in the back, leaving him paralyzed.
"His spinal cord was entirely severed, I mean no one ever deserves this, but Max definitely did not,” she said.
The Columbus Division of Police said the bullet was fired from outside of the bar. She described her brother as a nature-loving, spunky guy.
When we spoke with Claire on Wednesday, she said her brother was recovering after surgery. She said doctors were able to remove the bullet.
The two were former Ohio State University students. Max now works at Nationwide Insurance
"In the blink of an eye, everything can be taken away from someone and it's really awful and unfair,” she said.
Claire now lives in California. She said it’s rough being so far away from her family right now.
“It could've been a lot worse and we're happy that his friends and everyone responded so quickly and were able to get him to the hospital,” she said.
Claire said Max posted on Facebook on Tuesday saying he's taking it one day at a time and he's looking forward to gaining as much independence as he can.
Dick’s Den is planning a benefit for Max on Friday. A manager told 10TV all the money raised will go towards Max’s medical expenses.
Friends and family have also organized a GoFundMe for Max, which have already exceeded $100,000.