'Never Thought I'd Experience It': Bystander Recovering After Being Shot In Downtown Mpls.
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Officers say they know who shot a man as he waited for his daily bus ride home from work.
Matt Porwall is at HCMC recovering from some intense injuries. He was shot in the stomach. Meanwhile, officers arrested Delorien Chatman.
They say he was fighting with another man, tried to shoot that man and missed, striking Porwall. It happened in the heart of downtown Minneapolis near Hennepin Avenue and Sixth Street.
Porwall has major internal damage so he's getting serious treatments. He was actually getting treatments as we spoke to him Saturday from his bedside.
A stoic Northern Minnesotan, you won't hear Matt Porwall complain. But he has every reason to do just that. Fluids are being pumped and drained through his nose, through his body, a body that now permanently bears a bullet.
"It damaged my colon which was repaired and then is lodged in, in some muscle, by my spine, an inch and a half from my spine," he said.
The .22 caliber bullet pierced his stomach Tuesday night. He was waiting at this bus stop, leaving his daily shift at Marriott City Center.
He says two men broke into a fight, but he was the one who got hit.
"It basically felt like I got punched and then I looked down and lifted my shirt up and saw the hole," he said.
Two workers from nearby Jimmy John's rushed to his side to help. He says a staff of 40 awaited him at HCMC.
"It definitely hurts to get shot, never thought I'd experience it," he said.
Still, he says he's not completely shocked.
"Unfortunately it doesn't surprise me, just the way things have been going downtown," he said.
He is surprised that it happened during daylight on a Tuesday, a day he won't soon forget.
"It could have been worse, I just think of anybody else who could have been there. I was the only one waiting for the bus," he said.
He says he's angry and tries not to think about the person who hurt him. After all, this strong Minnesotan's got other stuff to focus on.
"It's just a healing process and it will be over before you know it," he said.
Porwall says he asks everyday if he can go home -- but he has more healing to do, he says he will heal, it will just take time.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Porwall.
The suspect is being held without bail.
Court records show Chatman was convicted of felony possession of a pistol in 2012 sentenced to five years but got out early.