A man affiliated with the popular rap group Wu-Tang clan is speaking out against gun violence just weeks after surviving a shooting to the head. NY1's Thabie Sibanda has the story. 

 

Rapper Solomon Childs whose real name is Walbert Ryan Dale still remembers the shock he felt the moment he was shot right outside of this store.

"Why me? Why did you shoot me?” said Childs.

Childs says he was approached by a stranger later identified as 22-year-old Joendy Gomez. When he refused to acknowledge Gomez, he says the man became enraged and shot him twice, once in the head. He spent the last 2 weeks recovering in the hospital but still has a scar right under his ear and his jaw remains partially wired shut.

"It could have easily went sideways. I could have been paralyzed. I could have been dead you know. So you know God is great," said Childs.

Now the Wu-Tang Clan affiliated rapper wants to use his story of survival to speak out against gun violence. It’s an issue that City Councilwoman Debi Rose says concerns many North Shore residents, evident after a recent survey.

"Overwhelmingly…people who lived in Stapleton and Mariner's Harbor felt that the number one public health issue was violence," said Rose.

Councilwoman Rose says the city has poured money into neighborhood programs aimed at reducing violence. According to NYPD Statistics, the 120th police precinct saw 2 fewer shooting incidents in 2016 compared to the year before, a drop of 8 percent. She hopes that trend continues, with the help of people like Childs.

"It takes a lot of courage to be a victim of violence and not retaliate," said Rose.

The councilwoman hopes he’ll use his notoriety to positively influence the borough’s youth.

"You know we've got to talk to the kids. We've got to let them know that to walk away...it doesn't make you a punk to walk away. It just makes you a little smarter than the other guy."

Meanwhile the District Attorney's office says the accused, Joendy Gomez, faces felony attempted murder, assault and other charges stemming from this shooting and another one days before.