PATERSON, N.J. – A New Jersey mother says a man armed with a paintball gun ambushed her 14-year-old son on their doorstep and shot him more than 20 times, according to WPIX.
The alleged attack happened Monday evening at their home on 11th Avenue in Paterson.
The boy said he answered the door after seeing a familiar face – the older brother of one of his classmates. The Vasquez family said as soon as the door opened, the man opened fire without warning. The eighth-grader was hit over 20 times with paintballs.
He was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
His mother, Carolina Vasquez, told WPIX her son was covered in painful bruises, she described the welts as “deep, bloody, black and blue.”
Her son is now “nervous, traumatized,” she said.
When WPIX visited the home Tuesday, damage was visible inside and outside the home.
“They have a search warrant for this person,” Vasquez said. “We’re just waiting for him to get caught.”