Teen robbers are charged with attempted capital murder for shooting and robbing a man. Police say it is not their first crime.
"I wanted to come back here to face it,” said the shooting victim who wishes to be identified by his first name, Francis.
With a bullet still lodged inside his body, Francis, who's 19-years-old, took KVUE with him as he returned for the first time to the place where he thought he had take his last breath.
"I honestly don't think I could be back here in the dark. It's hard enough right now,” he said.
The BMX competitor routinely practices at Bowie High School near Slaughter and Manachaca. On Sunday night, he was headed home when he says 17-year-old James Perkins yelled to him asking to use his phone.
"Then I realized that he wasn't using my phone. He was blocking me in. He waved across the street for people to come over there,” said Francis.
Francis says 17-year-old Paul Rios and another man joined in. He says they forced him at gunpoint into a culvert. The men then took his ATM card and went to take out cash.
Francis says he didn’t have much money and it made Perkins so angry he punched him in the face. He says the group then plotted his execution. As he heard the gun cock as it was held next to his head, Francis ran for his life.
"[I] got halfway through the drainage ditch and all of the sudden my ears are ringing and my butt's hurting really bad. I get into the light, touch my butt and pull my hand out and it is covered in blood,” said Francis.
Robbery detectives linked the teens to another crime three days prior. A juvenile bicyclist reported Perkins stopped him at Roxanna Drive near Slaughter Lane Thursday afternoon. Police say he knew Perkins as a classmate from Akins High School. The juvenile says Perkins and three other males held a gun to his face and attempted to rob him, but let him go. The juvenile says as he walked back to his bike, Perkins punch him so hard he chipped his tooth.
Sgt. Katrina Pruitt says the juvenile was the key to arresting Perkins who lead them to Rios. Both are now charged with five counts including attempted capital murder.
"I believe if we had not got the leads on this, they had the potential to kill somebody the next time they tried to do this,” Pruitt said.
Since Francis had his back turned, detectives are still trying to determine who shot him. That detail is not so important to him right now.
"I'm just thankful I'm here,” he said.
Perkins is in jail. Police continue to search for Rios. They have yet to identify the third person involved.
According to AISD, Perkins has not attended Akins High School in a year. He has been enrolled in an alternative high school. Rios is not listed as an AISD student.
