RICHMOND, Va. β A Richmond Lyft driver is speaking out after being shot while picking up a passenger this past weekend, saying he's grateful to be alive despite having a bullet still lodged in his shoulder.
Lamar McCray, a father of two, was shot Saturday night during what sources say was the suspect's frustration over noise in the neighborhood.
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What we know after Lyft driver shot in Richmond's East End
"I'm here, and when I say that's all that matters in this world, man, I'm here," McCray said. "God's shield has saved me. He had angels looking out for me."
Late Saturday night, McCray received his first rideshare request of the evening from the 800 block of Old Denny Street in Fulton in Richmond's East End.
"When I got to the stop, the passenger immediately came in, young guy, he said 'Go, go, go, go, go.' Now, at that moment, in my head I'm thinking ... I've never done it, but I was gonna tell the passenger he's got to go," McCray said.
Seconds later, police say 46-year-old Elwood Lewis appeared at the passenger side of McCray's car.
"[He] comes to the passenger side of the car and yelled, 'Hey, you with him?' I said, 'No sir, I'm just a Lyft driver,' ... he said, 'Get them out of my neighborhood now,'" McCray said. "At that moment I hauled out as fast as I could. Before I could make it to the stop sign, I hear glass shatter and I felt I've been hit by a bullet."
McCray says his right side started to go numb after being shot. His passenger helped apply pressure to the wound while McCray pulled over at a gas station at the top of Shockoe on Main Street.
"[My] passenger was holding my wound and calling 911 at the same time," McCray said.
According to Crime Insider sources, detectives believe Lewis fired shots out of frustration. McCray's passenger was leaving a loud party next door to where Lewis lived, and Lewis wanted the noise to stop.
Lewis has been charged with several weapons violations, and more charges are pending.
While McCray knows the bullet wasn't meant for him, the reckless act has cost him significantly. He can't work right now, won't drive rideshare again β eliminating an extra source of income β and rehabilitation will take at least 3 months minimum with future surgeries likely.
A GoFundMe has been set up to support him.
"I'm asking the community to help me... I have a son and daughter relying on me, you know," McCray said.
McCray offers advice for fellow rideshare drivers: always trust your gut.
"It's a reminder of how grateful I am," McCray said.
This is a developing story. Email the CBS 6 Newsroom if you have additional information to share.
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