Jeff Cordero, an owner of Barefoot Archery on Old Pineville Road, said one of their longtime customers was accidentally shot near his eye with an arrow on Saturday at an event in West Virginia.
Cordero said he has known Luis Escobar for years. They love archery and Escobar spends hours at the shop weekly.
“Saturday, I was just kind of floored,” Cordero said. “I didn’t know what to think. He’s not just a friend of mine or a friend of the shop. He is a role model in the archery community as a whole.”
Escobar was airlifted to a hospital in Charleston, West Virginia. The arrow went through his temple and exited near his eye barely missing his brain, according to family.
“He is one tough individual,” Cordero said. “I’ve had a phone call with him this morning. He sounds like he’s doing well. He said he’s already interested in getting back here in the archery shop and getting a new bow. So, he’s being Luis.”
Cordero wants to spread awareness and ask for help.
He said his friend deserves it.
>>If you would like help support Escobar’s family, click here.
“He will spend hours in here on his own free time, just hanging out, helping people, helping kids in the range and he is just a role model,” Cordero said.
The organizers of the West Virginia archery event released a statement about the accident, saying, in part, “While incidents like this are rare and unfortunate, they reinforce the importance of upholding our safety standards at all times and reaffirm our ongoing commitment to continuously review and enhance our protocols.”
Escobar has a long road to recovery and could possibly have disabilities, but they don’t know how extensive those will be.
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