Shooting survivor forced to sell business after robbery, family says

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Vipin Sharma visited his Arlington Expressway BP service station on Friday for the first time since he was shot in an armed robbery in July. 

“Awesome," Sharma said. "I never thought I would be able to make it.”

He told Action News Jax the bullet is lodged in his pelvis and he has a blood clot in his leg.

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“I have no insurance. I don’t know how God is going to help me,” Sharma said.

His wife, Jayshree Sharma, says the medical debt is too much to carry, and running the store on her own isn't possible. She suffers from breast cancer.

“I don’t think we can operate it, so we have to close the business down," she said.

Jayshree Sharma said they have to sell the business in the near future to stay afloat. The couple laments having to part ways with the store they worked at every day for three and a half years.

When working, Vipin Sharma was known for wandering outside of the bulletproof glass to meet his customers. Alleged shooter Sherwin Birt took advantage of that and appeared to approach Sharma from the opening.

“I tried my best to give my customers the best service I can, friendliest service I can," he said. "And the end result is, I got shot.”

Nonetheless, he says he wouldn't treat his customers any differently if he could do it over again.

“I would not change my approach, meeting people, greeting people, and if I treat them badly, then I’m treating my god badly,” Vipin Sharma said.

He credits God -- and the staff at Memorial Hospital -- for being able to walk.

Cox Media Group