W.H. man recalls attemped robbery at gunpoint

Three years ago June 8, O’Neal Richards, a resident of West Hempstead, was talking to some friends on Woodfield Road, which was buzzing with activity from pedestrians, commuters and residents. Richards, 30 years old and a father of one at the time, had just made an ATM withdrawal and stopped to chat with neighbors. A young man, who noticed his money withdrawal from across the street, approached him, .45 caliber gun drawn, and said, “I know you got it, so give it up.”

“It made me upset, because the kid didn’t even have facial hair,” said Richards. “Everyone who saw it was just shocked.”

O’Neal thought about running away, but what was to stop the gunman from firing? So O’Neal chose to fight back, and a fight ensued for possession of the gun.

During the struggle, the gunman fired a series of seven shots, two of which hit Richards. The first pierced a hole through his right thumb; the last one hit his shoulder. He didn’t realize he had been shot at the time. He was more concerned with pain — which felt like someone had “hit him in the head with a baseball bat”, he said — and the fact that he was temporarily deaf from being so close to multiple gunshots.

Even though there were still more bullets in the gun, the gunman finally chose to give up the fight and started to run.

“I watched him go, and then I looked around — and there was no one there. Where did all those people go? They all ran for cover,” said Richards.

Richards did the same seconds later, and entered a friend’s house nearby. “My friend saw me and said, ‘Are you ok?’ and I said, ‘He shot me in the hand’, and my friend said, ‘That’s it?’” After seven shots, he thought Richards was seriously injured or worse.

“The detective told me that if I was three feet back from where I was during the fight, I wouldn’t have a hand and I would’ve probably died,” Richards said.

An ambulance soon after took him to the hospital.

Richards ultimately had five different surgeries on his thumb, which has movement but cannot bend.

The nightmare of that incident still has an affect on Richards, who despite it, chooses to be grateful that he is still alive, has two beautiful boys with his lovely wife Jo Elizabeeth, and a real belief in his strength, determination and resolve.