'You expect the worst': Westgate Entertainment District shooting victim's mother speaks out

GLENDALE, Ariz. - The mother of one of the Westgate Entertainment District's shooting victims speaks publicly for the first time Saturday, just days after a man targeted people with an assault rifle on May 20th because police say he wanted respect.

Out of the three victims shot, 19-year-old Alfredo Jaime was seriously injured and his mother is asking for continued prayers.

Jaime came to entertainment district with his best friend Destiny. He was shot in the back and chest. Destiny, 16, was shot in the leg.

Glendale Police say 20-year-old Armando Hernandez targeted ten victims initially but his AR-15 jammed. Court documents reveal he allegedly did this because he was bullied for much of his life.

RELATED: Glendale police: Suspect in Westgate shooting said he was bullied, wanted to gain respect

He's accused of three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and several other charges.

As for Jaime, after the shooting, his mother physically could not check on him in the hospital this week because of a COVID-19 policy that doesn't allow visitors.

An iPad is the only way she can see her son and talk to nurses and doctors.

"Not a good sight when you see your son with his eyes rolled back and sedated and blood all over his face his hands and when you ask if he’s gonna make it and when you hear 'critical,' you just don’t know, so you expect the worst but hoping for the best," Maggie Jaime his mother, said.

She said Jaime didn't think he heard gunshots at first.

"He goes, 'I didn’t think they were shots, I thought they were firecrackers,'" she said. Reality set in as the teens saw the gunman approach them outside Johnny Rockets. They ran immediately.

But, they were shot.

"He goes, 'Why mom, why me?'" she explained.

Jaime says the bullet fragments have been taken out of his body during surgery and he lost a lot of blood. His recovery will take time but fortunately, he is out of critical condition and is stable.

Mentally, he says he's traumatized and doesn't want to go out like he did that night.

"It’s a trauma. It’s a very bad trauma that he experienced so I can only just hope that he does go out and he looks at life at a whole different way than he what he did before," he mom said.

Destiny had surgery on her leg Saturday, and the third victim has been home recovering from a minor injury.

If you would like you help the family during their time of need, visit their GoFundMe page.