RIVERVIEW, Fla. — A Riverview man who was wounded during the mass shooting at a Jacksonville gaming tournament in August is back in his home in Riverview as he continues to recover from his injuries.

Timothy Anselimo is finally back home, recovering with some help from his mother.

“All up here was shattered and all under here was shattered,” the 25-year-old said, pointing to his bandaged right hand.

Anselimo was shot in the hand, hip and chest at the Madden tournament in Jacksonville last month.

“Where he was and where I was when everyone first saw him, we were just a couple of feet apart from each other,” Anselimo said.  “I was so close that he was still able to shoot me twice when I first took off for cover.”

With his adrenaline pumping, Anselimo said he went into survival mode. 

“Once I heard more shots ring out, I kind of peeked from around the corner from where I was and I saw the door halfway to the other side of the room, and I saw people making a run for it,” Anselimo said. “And I just figured, 'I’m already hit twice if I stay here this isn’t going to end well for me, this is my only chance of survival, I’ve got to make a run for it.'”

Anselimo was hit one more time before he made it to safety and spent days recovering at a Jacksonville hospital, where he had two surgeries on his hand.  Whether his thumb heels properly or not is key to his gaming future.

“They’re saying there’s a chance that I’ll gain functioning in my thumb,” Anselimo said.  “But who knows if it will be enough to get back to my career and my profession? So at this point I just take it day by day and just hope for the best.”

Anselimo’s family has started a fundraiser to help pay for medical bills. To make a donation, visit https://www.gofundme.com/lifting-up-olarry

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