Surf Trip Ends in Gunfire: “Centimeter Away from Fatal”

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Nov 27, 2024 2:00 PM ET

A surf trip took a turn for the worse, recently, as a man took a bullet in what has been purported to be a drive-by gang shooting. The victim nearly lost his life in the incident, with the wound being a mere centimeter away from ripping through his aorta, and the curtain falling on the stage of life for good.

Merrill Roberts, 55, of Oceanside, California was the victim involved, and he was on a surf trip to Santa Cruz with his grown son and two others. The posse was eating at a local restaurant after a day of catching waves, and that’s when the near-tragedy went down. Per a GoFundMe account, which has been created to help with Roberts’ medical bills, here’s more of the story:

“On Friday night, November 15th, Merrill, his son, and a friend were eating at a restaurant when they got caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting. Merrill was an innocent bystander and got shot. It was supposed to be a great weekend of surfing with Merrill and his son. Unfortunately, his weekend was cut short and now Merrill is currently in the hospital with a bullet 1 cm away from his aorta. The bullet went through his left arm and shattered his humerus, then pierced his lung, and is currently residing 1 cm from his aorta. As a family, we call it one of God's tender mercies; had the bullet not shattered his humerus, it more than likely would have had enough energy to penetrate his aorta. We are also very grateful that his son did not get hit.”

Following his hospitalization, Roberts underwent surgery to reconstruct his arm with plates and screws. However, doctors decided not to remove the bullet from his abdomen as it was too risky.

As for Roberts, himself, here’s what he had to say after the ordeal (per ABC 10):

“I feel very blessed that I’m here talking to you right now. I literally dodged more than one bullet. Even though I took one bullet, it’s definitely a miracle. It’s a second chance to do things even better. This is definitely going to be a great Thanksgiving. I have a lot of gratitude.”

Legend.

To see more, and make a donation, check out the GoFundMe account here.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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