Bystander: Neighbors jumped in to help injured teen after shooting

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — After a teen was shot at a Wilmington apartment complex Monday afternoon, a bystander who witnessed the aftermath is speaking out.

Police say it happened at Cypress Grove Apartments around 3:25 p.m. An 18-year-old man was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Around that same time, Wilmington resident Sherman Criner was taking a run around Greenfield Lake, approaching the apartment complex when he heard shots fired.

“I had my earbuds in, and all of a sudden I heard four or five incredibly loud gunshots,” Criner said. “I thought maybe somebody had just shot into the air or something like that.”

Hearing commotion, Criner decided to make his way through the complex to see what was going on.

“From behind the bushes, I could see two legs sticking out on the ground and could see three or four people standing around,” he said. “As I approached it was clear somebody had been shot.”

Criner says by the time he arrived, neighbors were already administering first aid.

“One gentleman had already taken his shirt off and had given it to a lady who was putting compression onto the wound,” he said.

He says the 18-year-old victim was responsive, and it appeared he had been shot in his right upper arm or shoulder area.

“We were all just telling him to relax, to breathe, that he was going to be fine because he was clearly scared,” Criner said. “He was putting on a tough demeanor but he was scared, and he was kind of shaking a little bit like he was probably going into shock.”

Then came a new revelation from a nearby neighbor.

“Another lady came up, who said that the shooting took place behind her unit which was a little ways away, a couple of hundred yards, and she said the gun was still on the ground,” Criner said.

With others helping the victim, Criner says he followed the woman back to that area and secured the gun until police arrived.

“My thought process with that was that my wife has me watch all these dateline shows all the time, you need to secure the crime scene,” he said. “I also did not want any young children in the area to pick up the gun thinking it was a toy.”

When asked why he ran toward the shots, Criner says he felt a duty to help.

“I’ve got a 16-year-old son and a 15-year old-stepson, and if it had been my child that had been sitting there on the ground… I’m sure this victim has a mother and a father out there as well, other family members that love him, that they would want people to come forward to assist him and assist in the investigation,” he said.

Criner hopes that by sharing his story, those with information about the shooting will be encouraged to come forward. You can do so by calling Wilmington Police at 910-343-3609 or use the Wilmington NC PD app to remain anonymous. You can also text an anonymous tip to 847411 (TIP411) by including the keyword WPDNC.

There is no update on the status of the victim or any potential suspects at this time.