GALLUP, NM – A 15-year-old Gallup boy had to be flown to UNM Hospital last week after being shot in the abdomen.

He says he was simply minding his own business on his normal afternoon walk and it took him a minute to realize he was bleeding from a gunshot wound.

“I was cooking dinner and left everything everywhere,” said Vikki Garcia.

That’s what Garcia did when police called to say her 15-year-old son, Liam Donaldson, had been shot.

“It was so surreal, I couldn’t believe it, like a gunshot? Was it a .22, what caliber was it? How bad is that? And the officer says, ‘He’s talking, he’s alert.’ So I thought, OK, was it a pellet gun?” Garcia said.

Donaldson said he encountered two men who shot at him while on his daily walk last Thursday.

“I was just minding my business, I didn’t even know I had been shot,” Donaldson said. “I think they were shooting at each other and then I saw the gun pointed at me. My first reaction was they missed me because I don’t feel anything. Then I felt blood and saw it and they were already gone.”

Donaldson underwent a five-hour surgery to repair his colon and is also recovering from a broken pelvis.

Following the shooting, Juliane Hillock, principal of Hózhó Academy, sent a letter to the community informing them of what had happened and called for a town hall meeting to discuss concerns about violence in the community.

“I was a little surprised at how quickly people recognized the need. We were still pleasantly surprised that our local leaders, our Gallup leaders, our community leaders, were willing to come on such short notice, and that gives me hope,” Hillock said.

For Donaldson, it’s a long road to recovery, but Garcia hopes it’s also a road to change.

“Everything happens for a reason, and God chose him for what reason, we don’t know. But I think what we’re finding is that it’s making the community aware that there’s a problem that we really need to address,” Garcia said.

Liam was released from the hospital on Tuesday. Garcia says they will continue to go to Albuquerque for regular check-ups for a while.

KOB 4 has reached out to Gallup Police about the incident and we are still waiting for a response.