Jesse's Road to Recovery after Tragic Attack

Hello. My name is Julianna. I have started this GoFundMe for my son Jesse. He was the victim of a senseless, malicious violent crime and is facing the long road of recovery.

On the last day of December 2024, Jesse stopped at the grocery store on his way to see a friend. It was early morning. While in the store, Jesse came around the corner of an aisle and bumped into someone who reacted angrily even though it was an accident. Jesse kept walking; he did not engage or threaten this person. Jesse left the store after making his purchase, unaware that the person and his friends were going to follow him. A few blocks away, Jesse made another stop at a small local shop off the main road. He did not know he had been followed. When he got out of his vehicle, two of the people from the grocery store got out of their vehicle with weapons drawn, yelling at Jesse. Jesse ran, and they chased him down. They shot him twice, mocked him when he was on the ground bleeding, ran back to their friends, and drove off.

The side road they were on and the small strip of shops (mostly mechanic/window/repair type shops) did not have a lot of traffic yet, it was a quiet morning. Jesse was bleeding to death when, by a miracle, the shop owner where he was laying in front of came in early -two hours early- and found Jesse, called 911.

The fire department came and stabilized Jesse for transport to the ER. Jesse was in surgery for two days, over 15 hours. His injuries are severe and catastrophic. His femur, fibula, and tibia were shattered by two bullets. One of the bullets ricocheted into his abdomen, and they needed to remove part of his damaged colon. His knee is also damaged. Jesse was in critical care for one week but also made incredible progress just by finally being awake, having a (very) slight appetite, and smiling. This was astounding! When they discharged him to home, myself and Jesse's step-dad took over 24-hour care. Jesse had a blood clot to a coronary artery which, I learned, is a leading cause of death from gunshot wounds. This is a very serious condition. We were very nervous for weeks.

The first two months, all we did, our entire focus, was just taking care of Jesse. He couldn't move, walk, or get up and down from any position on his own. He was not allowed, per orthopedic and vascular surgeons, to put any weight on his damaged leg. And most importantly, the blood clot needed time to resolve.

He finally got the go-ahead in late February to put a very slight amount of weight on the leg, and they wanted him to start Physical Therapy. His first appointment was March 14th. Jesse's muscle mass is zero. He is doing Physical Therapy twice a week.

This has been traumatic as well as exhausting. Everything in our lives changed dramatically, and Jesse will be dealing with the fallout for months and months, or longer. The doctors say Jesse's injuries could take a year or more to heal.

Jesse had just finished his first semester in college, the small community college CNM, here in Albuquerque. This is a really big deal because he has learning disabilities, and it took him so much focus, effort, and a significant support team to even go to college. Jesse also had a job that he loved working at a local farm. He will not be able to work for many more months. But Jesse is extremely grateful to be alive. He is determined every day to build strength.

This has been a disaster, though. And Jesse needs support to keep his apartment and his independent life he has worked exceptionally hard to achieve. We, his family, have taken care of his rent and bills since this horrific incident. We do not possess unlimited resources. Jesse needs help. I realize times are difficult for so many—thank you sincerely for your consideration.

We are raising funds for his monthly bills, the emergency fire department bill ($5,882) because it is not covered through his insurance, and transportation service through Lyft for his Physical Therapy appointments. This is because we need to be able to work! For the last several weeks we have taken so much time off for his daily care plus hospital/doctor/PT/etc. appointments. We will continue to go to the hospital and orthopedic/vascular appointments with Jesse but he is able to attend Physical Therapy on his own. The outings have also been an important part of his spiritual and mental recovery. Jesse would like to go to Physical Therapy more than twice per week. His insurance will only cover twice and we'll need to pay out of pocket for additional treatments.

We have contacted the Victim Advocacy and applied for support

This is a slow process and could be months before, and if, he receives support. Jesse is working with detectives. There is a witness plus video of the attack and detectives have met with Jesse to show him photos of possible suspects. We have not heard that any arrests have been made.

Thank you friends, family, and compassionate community members.

Your support can make a real difference in Jesse's life and recovery. Every encouraging word and every donation helps him to continue moving forward one step at a time from this terrible, senseless act of malicious violence. Every donation goes directly to Jesse's recovery, helping him stabilize, regain his independence, and rebuild his life. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support.