A Houston man requires surgery after being shot six times nearly two weeks ago, but the procedure hasn’t been done yet because the hospital’s intensive care unit is at full capacity with about one-third of its occupancy consisting of COVID-related cases, The Washington Post reports.
Joel Valdez was shot outside of a Kroger in the early morning hours of Aug. 6, and transported to Ben Taub Hospital where he was initially declared to be in critical yet stable condition. Valdez has since remained in a hospital bed as he waits to go under the knife to fix his shoulder, which was stuck three times.
“Having broken bones and bullets in me for over a week now, it’s a little frustrating,” Valdez told KRIV. “I got shot in the neck right here, but I got hit three times in my left shoulder. That’s what is broken and what I’m awaiting surgery for.”
As of Monday morning, Ben Taub Hospital’s ICU was at 103 percent capacity, with 33 percent accounting for COVID-related cases. Located nearly 10 miles away, the Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital was at 94 percent capacity, while cases pertaining to COVID-19 sit at 54 percent.
“Everybody is really surprised I’m still in this bed a week later,” Valdez said, adding, “Do your best to maintain your health and not end up in a situation that puts you in the hospital right now.”
A witness said that a man and woman got into an argument before she went inside the store. The suspect suddenly started yelling at Valdez as he was leaving Kroger.
The man then rammed his vehicle into Valdez’s car, and fired several shots that, according to police, left seven bullet holes in the driver’s side.
Kendrick Green was later arrested and charged with aggravated assault in connection with the shooting. The woman he was seen arguing with identified him as the suspect, claiming their dispute stems from her refusing to let Green drive her back to his home after a family gathering.
She alleges Green pulled out a gun in her presence, and she went inside the grocery store to hide in the women’s bathroom.
