A Black cement mason and father of five in California is recovering after being shot seven times in what police say may be a possible hate crime.
According to ABC News, Bobby Gayle, 45, was shot in Stockton, Ca., on Oct. 8. His brother, Marlon Gayle, said that Bobby had just finished a construction job at the Chicken Rooster, a North Stockton restaurant, before the attack took place.
After being shot multiple times, including in the face, Bobby immediately called his brother and left a chilling message:
“Marlon, I’ve been shot. Pray for me,” Bobby said in the recording. “Swear to God—Please, in the name of Jesus, hallelujah.”
Marlon then told the story of the shooting as it was told to him.
“This big truck came by and almost hit them. So, my brother says, ‘Hey, slow down,’” Marlon told ABC News. “According to my brother and the guy who was with him, his friend, the guy gets out of the truck, the white guy, and he has a gun, and he starts saying the n-word over and over again and started shooting my brother.”
Marlon told ABC 10 in Stockton the extent of his brother’s injuries:
Marlon said the shooter didn’t hit any major arteries. He said his brother was hit in his throat, upper arm, shoulder, and two times in the face.
“We don’t know if he’ll be able to work at the same capacity. The doctors are letting us know. Our first thing... is being able to see that he is breathing right. He’s talking right,” Marlon said.
Authorities say the investigation is in its early stages, but the shooting is being investigated as a potential hate crime, according to ABC 10.
The Stockton police released a photo of the shooter from video footage taken by a nearby Wells Fargo Bank.
According to the Stockton Police Department, the shooter is described as a white male in his 30s, wearing a dark-colored jacket and jeans. He was driving a white, late-model Chevrolet Silverado pick-up truck during the time of the incident. There is a $10,000 Crime Stoppers award for any information leading to his arrest.
Marlon Gayle told ABC News that he and his family never expected something like this to happen but that the police have been very helpful.
“We’re working with reporting to the California Department of Justice as well as the FBI,” Stockton Police Assistant Chief Jim Chraska told ABC News. “We have an officer on the FBI task force. So, it’s important to us to make sure we get the community’s help.”
The Stockton Police Department said the city has averaged eight hate crime cases per year since 2016.