'Wrong place, wrong time' for New York shooting victim
- Published
Cameron Robertson and his wife Jill were on a last-minute break to New York when he was shot and injured
A man has said it was a case of "wrong place, wrong time" after being shot while on holiday in New York.
Cameron Robertson, 41, from York, was shot in his arm and leg while walking down the street with wife, Jill, just after midnight on 17 September.
After treatment in hospital, Mr Robertson was able to fly home to the UK later the same day.
He said the incident, which happened while on a last-minute break to the US city, had been "a bit of a blur".
Mr Robertson said he was shot as he and his wife were heading back to their hotel after seeing a band.
He told BBC Radio York: "We heard pops and instantly you think it might be a car backfiring, but then we heard screams.
"We dove into the deli near us and then I felt the pain in my arm and leg and I said to my wife, 'oh I think I've been shot' and I fell to the ground."
Mr Robertson was shot in his right arm and leg
Mr Robertson said it was his wife who bore the brunt of the experience as she tried to staunch his bleeding.
"She was the hero on the night," he said.
"I remember her very clearly calling out, 'help, my husband's been shot'. It was, like, two or three times and each time getting more and more worried."
Eventually a woman got help and police and paramedics were soon on the scene, he added.
Despite his injuries, Mr Robertson was able to fly home on the day of the shooting
Mr Robertson said being shot was not what he had imagined.
"It was wrong place, wrong time, just standing in the middle of the street when the shots went off," he said.
"You kind of feel it is going to be more forceful, extreme. It kind of felt like someone had put a big needle through my arm."
Mr Robertson said he was told at the hospital he had been "very lucky".
"They said, 'no arteries have been hit, apparently no broken bones, no nerve damage. If you are going to get shot, this is the luckiest you will ever be'."
He said he felt very fortunate to not have been more seriously injured.
"I came off managing to fly home to my family and friends on the day of the shooting," he said.
The shooting would not put him off visiting New York again, Mr Robertson said
In a statement, the New York Police Department (NYPD) said Mr Robertson's shooting had been reported at 00:02 local time on 17 September.
An NYPD spokesperson said: "Two unknown male individuals were walking in the vicinity of Herkimer Street and Nostrand Avenue when they displayed firearms and discharged multiple rounds, striking a 41-year-old male in the right arm and leg."
The two men involved were still being sought, they added.
Mr Robertson said he had no major "negative feelings" about the man who shot him, but hoped those responsible would be caught.
He said he had received further medical treatment on his return to the UK and believed his fitness had helped him heal quickly.
"Although it's luck of the draw with where the bullets hit, I've been extremely lucky," he said.
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