Months after he was shot during an altercation inside his Liberty City boxing gym, Mario Rodriguez is sharing his story of recovery. He also provided 7News with a new view of what happened that day.
Cell phone video from inside the House of Pain gym captured the chilling moments an irate father pulled out a gun following an argument reportedly about his son being matched up against another boxer, he believed was bigger and older.
In the video, children can be seen covering their ears and ducking for cover after multiple gunshots are heard ringing out through the gym. One individual realized that, in the chaos, a bullet struck Rodriguez.
“He shot him, he shot him,” a man said.
Rodriguez spent several months fighting to recover and has now returned to doing what he loves: training teens to defend themselves and serving as a guide to them.
He told 7News he’s focused on the future now that those difficult days are over.
“It feels great,” said Mario. “I just want to put all of that behind me. I just wanna focus on being back at work and training these kids. That’s all I care about right now.”
His work helping kids was almost brought to an end on the night of Aug. 14, and now, new footage paints a clearer picture of how it all unfolded.
That night, teens were sparring in the ring when an argument among adults erupted outside the ropes, with claims of an unfair fight.
In the new video, an adult could be heard angrily shouting across the gym.
Then, a coach could be seen hitting a boxer in the head, which set off a scuffle that involved coaches and parents.
Just moments after that, Rodriguez was shot. Cell phone video captured his students surrounding him as others called for help.
“Call 911,” a student is heard saying.
Outside of the gym, in the 4900 block of Northwest Seventh Avenue, police would go on to arrest 41-year-old Eddie Denmark. He was later charged with attempted murder.
While Denmark is waiting for his next day in court, Rodriguez continues his road to recovery, rebuilding his strength and motivated by his mission to help kids.
“It knocked all the nerve out of my hand,” said Rodriguez.
He was shot in the torso, legs, and both hands.
“If I hadn’t put my hand up, he would have shot me in the face,” said Rodriguez. “I think God has a plan for me. After going through this ordeal, I’m still here. There has to be a plan.”
His students were relieved to see him back in action.
“He’s not just being a coach, he’s being like a father figure. So we come here, we let him know what’s going on, and he’s always trying to correct us, put us on the right path,” said Anthony Fuentes, a boxing student.
Rodriguez also thanked everyone who donated and helped him in his recovery.
As for Denmark, according to online court records, he bonded out of jail and remains on house arrest.
His trial is set to begin in February.
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