SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Tafu Letuli, 52, the landscaper who narrowly escaped death during Monday's mosque shooting, speaks out for the first time in a statement released by his attorney Friday night.
According to the statement, Letuli was struck by one of the five or six bullets allegedly shot by the assailants — 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Vasquez — shortly after the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Salerno Street.
The bullet hit the center of his arbor's helmet and was injured by the bullet fragments that shattered his fiberglass helmet.
He is expected to recover and considers himself lucky to be alive.
"If not for my helmet, I would probably not be alive today," Letuli said.
Within the statement, Letuli acknowledged the lives lost during the shooting.
"He stated that his heart goes out to the victims and their families. At 52 years old, he truly understands and realizes how he was literally inches away from meeting a horrible end to his life," said Letuli's attorney, Jerry Suppa.
The shooting claimed the lives of three men: 51-year-old Amin Abdullah, 78-year-old Mansour Kaziha, and 57-year-old Nadir Awad.
The two teen suspects died from self-inflicted gunshots.
Despite feeling gratitude for his life, Letuli expressed feeling a flurry of emotions following the shooting.
"Every time I think about what happened, a strange feeling triggers a flood of emotions. I feel fortunate and sad, all at the same time. I keep asking myself, 'Why me? I'm just a tree trimmer,'" Letuli said in the statement.
He hopes to share more of his experience with others.
