“I never guessed in a million years that I could take a 45 cal to the face and be here to talk about it,” Christopher Butler said.
The 29-year-old electronic dance music DJ is recovering in a hospital bed at Temple Hospital, relearning to walk and adjusting to life with the loss of sight in one eye. The shooting occurred Nov. 2 on the 900 block of West Dauphin Street in North Philadelphia.
Butler, who moved to the city from Washington, D.C., only months ago, had gathered with fellow musicians for what he expected to be a morning of casual jam sessions.
He woke from a nap at 9 a.m. to find a barrel pointed at his head.
Sources from the District Attorney’s Office said alcohol, cocaine, nitrous oxide, and ketamine were found inside the home. Police identified the alleged shooter as 22-year-old Jackson Roberts, a Drexel University student. According to investigators, a witness reported seeing Roberts smiling after firing the shot.
Butler described himself and Roberts as associates with no history of conflict.
“I never had any reason to think he was capable of something so heinous, and that’s when my guard was down,” Butler said.
The physical damage is severe. Beyond the loss of his eye, the bullet remains lodged near Butler’s C1 and C2 vertebrae.
“I still have my motor skills, and the worst that happened was that I lost my eye and the bullets lodged in my C1 and C2 vertebrae,” he said.
Despite the trauma, he hopes to be discharged from the hospital this week. Police said Roberts was found standing alone in the backyard of the home following the shooting. He now faces numerous charges, including attempted murder, though a motive for the shooting remains unclear.
As the legal process moves forward, Butler has indicated he is willing to testify at trial. He views his survival as a fundamental shift in his perspective on the future.
“As much as I can have sympathy for somebody’s situation, he still did what he did; I could have died,” Butler said.
“God realized I still had work left to do on this planet.”
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