Man Hospitalized For Weeks After Girlfriend Allegedly Lured Him To Romantic Spot And Shot Him
A grand jury in Texas indicted a woman on Thursday who is accused of attacking her then-boyfriend in a shooting that left him in the hospital for weeks — and now he’s speaking out.
Alexys Pinto, 23, was arrested in September and charged with aggravated assault of a family member in the non-fatal shooting of her then-boyfriend, Elvis Muñoz, according to Harris County court records reviewed by HuffPost. Pinto was released last week after a judge reduced her bond from $75,000 to $10,000.
Muñoz told local CBS affiliate KHOU that he’s afraid “she might want to come back and do something.”
Muñoz, a mechanic, told police that on Sept 5., he received a vehicle to work on from a client when he was at home with Pinto, according to a criminal complaint obtained by HuffPost.
Shortly after the client parked their car in his driveway, Pinto confronted Muñoz. In the complaint, Muñoz described Pinto as irate, and she began getting physical with him as he tried to calm her down. He said Pinto at one point kicked their dog violently.
At some point during the argument, Pinto asked Muñoz to take her to a romantic area where they had previously watched the sunset together, according to the complaint. Muñoz said he repeatedly asked his then-girlfriend why she wanted to go there, but she kept insisting.
Muñoz told police he eventually drove them to the area, but seconds after he pulled onto the road, Pinto ran out of Muñoz’s truck. Muñoz said he chased after Pinto and yelled for her to come back. But when he caught up with her, she allegedly hurled expletives at him.
“Teach me about deer hunting, you really think I’m going to go deer hunting out here?” she said, per the complaint.
Muñoz, confused, asked Pinto what she meant. Then he heard a gunshot go off.
“I literally couldn’t believe it,” Muñoz told ABC affiliate KTRK. “I looked down, and I started seeing all the blood running down my body, gushing.”
Muñoz sustained a gunshot wound to his hand and chest, according to the complaint. The next thing he recalled was Pinto holding a black gun.
Muñoz told police he was in disbelief and thought he had to run away, but Pinto fired more rounds at him, according to the complaint. Muñoz said he heard Pinto telling someone over the phone, “He shot me,” before he tried to interrupt, saying, “No, I didn’t.”
Pinto then looked over at Muñoz and said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do you like that, I didn’t shoot you in the right places!” according to the complaint. Pinto stood over him and pointed the gun to his face before shooting him again, striking his hand instead of killing him.
“As soon as I opened my eyes, I [saw] a gun to my head. Looking out, seeing her as if she was happy to hold that gun to my head,” Muñoz told KTRK.
Muñoz told police he asked Pinto to call an ambulance a number of times, but she responded, “I didn’t mean to do you like this, it was supposed to be quick!” according to the complaint.
In an interview with NBC affiliate KPRC, Muñoz said he did everything he could to convince Pinto to get help, including promising to tell police he didn’t know who’d shot him.
“Told her that I loved her, and I still wanted to be with her, I wanted to still grow with her, have children with her, and just basically trying to get into her head to convince her to help me,” Muñoz told KPRC. “I was begging her, call the ambulance, call the ambulance.”
The two then went back to Muñoz’s truck and drove to a nearby gas station, according to the complaint. Surveillance footage cited in the complaint showed Pinto rushing out of the truck and speaking with the store clerk while Munoz sat in the passenger seat, holding his abdomen.
Muñoz was taken to the hospital and underwent numerous surgeries and more than a month-long hospital stay following the attack, according to a fundraiser launched by his sister.
“Every day brings new challenges to face,” the sister wrote in the GoFundMe.
Muñoz told KPRC that he still doesn’t know why Pinto shot him, but reflected on how he was treated during his three year relationship with her.
“I’ve always worked hard to care for her as best as I could. Sometimes I wouldn’t even eat just for her to have a good plate of food,” Muñoz told the outlet. “She’ll be jealous, controlling, she would isolate me from family and friends. She holds grudges.”
Court records show police arrested Pinto on Sept. 17 and the judge granted Muñoz a protective order. An attorney listed as Pinto’s legal representative did not immediately respond to an email from HuffPost addressing the allegation.
Need help? In the U.S., call 1-866-331-9474 or text “loveis” to 22522 for the National Dating Abuse Helpline.