CHARLOTTE, N.C. — More than a week after a deadly shooting at the Pilot Travel Center in north Charlotte, police say the one surviving bystander continues to recover in the hospital.
Vasyl Nesvit, 26, is a truck driver who traveled from Oregon to Charlotte to complete a delivery. Late last Monday night he said he stopped at the truck stop along Statesville Avenue to shower. As he was preparing to leave, he heard gunshots ring out.
“When he ran he got shot twice and took cover under the car," his sister Rayisa Nesvit said.
Thankfully Vasyl Nesvit survived and was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. Police say the other shooting victim died.
Vasyl Nesvit's family back home in Oregon received the call about the shooting and immediately rushed across the country to be by his side.
“When you know your brother is a victim of a shooting it brings you pain, a lot of pain," Rayisa Nesvit said. “He’s the one who’s been the protector for me and right now it’s just been a hard time to see him here and I’ll have to be a protector for him.”
The family said Vasyl Nesvit has no health insurance. As they worry about his costly recovery, there is also an ongoing concern for the well-being of their loved ones in the family's home country of Ukraine where the war with Russia continues.
“When you get in this situation you understand life is short," Rayisa Nesvit said. "No one is safe anymore because of the gun shooting.”
Police have not said what may have led up to the shooting or identified any suspects in this case.
A GoFundMe page has been organized to help Vasyl Nesvit cover medical expenses.
Contact Briana Harper at bharper@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.