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Milwaukee man speaks out after being shot by close friend

Posted at 5:34 PM, Apr 21, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-21 19:25:24-04

A Milwaukee man who was shot by a friend during a deadly shooting spree spoke out for the first time.

Jovan Holmes, 39, says it wasn't an accident. TODAY’S TMJ4 talked to him right after he was released from the hospital Saturday afternoon.

He was shot six times by his friend Joevashaun Ward who's now in jail. Holmes says this whole experience has been devastating.

"I just knew I was about to die," Holmes said. “This was like my worst nightmare coming true."

The father of three says he's known Ward for over 20 years.

"Still to this day right now it's still unbelievable,” he said.

It happened on April 11 outside of a Milwaukee barbershop where Holmes works. Ward is now in jail after Milwaukee police say he shot three others that day, wounding two at 62nd and Silver Spring and killing another at 56th and Burleigh.

"In my opinion, he wasn't in his right state of mind,” Holmes said.

Since a week and a half ago, Holmes life has been flipped upside down. He still has three bullets in his body.

Bullets went through his legs and back and Holmes has had to learn how to walk again but through it all, he's most grateful for his new relationship with God.

"It had to be God," he said. "So it feels good man. My friend Joevashaun Ward, I want to tell you this man, I just feel like you wasn't in your right state of mind, I know you wasn’t' and I'm not just saying that. So I forgive you, from the bottom of my heart."

Holmes will begin in-home therapy soon and plans to be back to work cutting hair in two weeks. As far as Ward, he's been charged with first-degree intentional homicide and three counts of attempted homicide.

He'll be having his preliminary hearing later this week, and we'll be staying on top of this story.