Help Aron pay bills after surviving 3 gunshots
Donation protected
Hi there, I’m Aron and I would like to start by sharing a little about myself and the history I have with the restaurant I now own today. I started working at Villa Castrioti in 1996 as a server and shortly realized the loving environment and community that surrounded this place. As a family owned restaurant, many regulars and employees themselves felt part of a family making this restaurant more than a just an ordinary workplace. After working here for 24 years, as 2019 was ending, the owners were ready to retire and sell the restaurant. Not only were us employees worried about the job we have relied on for many years, many of the restaurant patrons, some who have been dining in for nearly 30 years, were worried about what would happen to their favorite place they would come weekly some even daily.
Being the bartender at Villa Castrioti for 20 years, I have made relationships with many of the regulars and tried to figure out if there was any way we could come together to keep the beloved restaurant going. By February of 2020 I had found an investor and we bought the restaurant. Shorty after in March, the nation was struck with the Covid pandemic. With the closures and regulations this first year of ownership has been struggling but with many loyal guest we have been making it by.
The location of my restaurant was once a thriving area but over the years it has been declining and the crime rate has been increasing. The shopping center that my restaurant is in has been faced with many burglaries and shootings as of lately and the night of December 16th, the truck of a long time costumer and friend was being burglarized.
As the two of us walked out front of the restaurant he noticed someone breaking into his truck and after noticing us the burglar jumped into a lime green mustang and took of through the parking lot. With all the crime going on outside my business I was appalled that a costumer of mine had been the target and decided we should follow the car in hopes of getting the tag number. We got in his truck and made it across the parking lot passed the neighboring major shopping center. As we drove up behind the vehicle, the suspect suddenly started to open fire and I ended up getting shot three times. Two bullets were removed, one from my ribs ending in a rib fracture and the other in the arm. The third bullet went straight through my chin nearly missing my carotid artery.
I am now at home recovering and very thankful for my life and the luck that was on my side that evening. But with no medical insurance the hospital bills have added to the battle this year has already brought me. With Christmas around the corner, I’m just wishing for a better new year for everyone. In hopes of keeping the restaurant going and thriving in the next year and years to come as well as pay off my hospital bills, any donations would help and are greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time in reading my story and I wish you happy holidays and the best of you in the year to come!
https://wreg.com/news/cordova-restaurant-owner-shot-while-following-burglary-suspect/
Being the bartender at Villa Castrioti for 20 years, I have made relationships with many of the regulars and tried to figure out if there was any way we could come together to keep the beloved restaurant going. By February of 2020 I had found an investor and we bought the restaurant. Shorty after in March, the nation was struck with the Covid pandemic. With the closures and regulations this first year of ownership has been struggling but with many loyal guest we have been making it by.
The location of my restaurant was once a thriving area but over the years it has been declining and the crime rate has been increasing. The shopping center that my restaurant is in has been faced with many burglaries and shootings as of lately and the night of December 16th, the truck of a long time costumer and friend was being burglarized.
As the two of us walked out front of the restaurant he noticed someone breaking into his truck and after noticing us the burglar jumped into a lime green mustang and took of through the parking lot. With all the crime going on outside my business I was appalled that a costumer of mine had been the target and decided we should follow the car in hopes of getting the tag number. We got in his truck and made it across the parking lot passed the neighboring major shopping center. As we drove up behind the vehicle, the suspect suddenly started to open fire and I ended up getting shot three times. Two bullets were removed, one from my ribs ending in a rib fracture and the other in the arm. The third bullet went straight through my chin nearly missing my carotid artery.
I am now at home recovering and very thankful for my life and the luck that was on my side that evening. But with no medical insurance the hospital bills have added to the battle this year has already brought me. With Christmas around the corner, I’m just wishing for a better new year for everyone. In hopes of keeping the restaurant going and thriving in the next year and years to come as well as pay off my hospital bills, any donations would help and are greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time in reading my story and I wish you happy holidays and the best of you in the year to come!
https://wreg.com/news/cordova-restaurant-owner-shot-while-following-burglary-suspect/
Organizer
Aron Pullen
Organizer
Lenow, TN