'I wondered if I was going to die'

A bullet came within a centimeter of ending John Saito's life. As the Temple University junior waited for a trolley Monday night in the SEPTA station at 36th and Sansom streets, he was shot in the neck and leg by two youths. Saito said Friday night from his hospital bed in the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania that he feels lucky to be alive after the shooting. "Fortunately, I wasn't a statistic," Saito said. "On Monday, it was me who was shot and if no action is taken, other people will be hurt." And Saito, who is also an employee at the University's Clinical Research Building, said the same thing could happen to anyone at any time. "Some [University students] might say that since I'm a Temple student, it doesn't affect them and for me that's stupid," Saito said. "People are totally ignorant of the dangers." Saito was at the University Monday night taking an MCAT course and studying at the Biomedical Library, he said. He decided to take the Green Line subway-surface trolley for the return trip to Temple. "I took all the precautions I thought I could," Saito said, describing what he did before entering the subway station. "I looked all around me and made sure no one was following me." Although Saito was in the station alone, he said he felt safe. After he waited for about 10 minutes, he said two black youths arrived. "The older and taller kid approached me and asked me for the time," Saito said. "I looked at my watch and I gave him the time. When I looked up again he had a gun pointing at my face." Saito said his first reaction was to push the gun away from his face. In the process of pushing the gun to the side, he said the gun went off and a bullet struck his leg. As the youth fled, the older one turned back and shot him again, hitting him in the neck. "That's when everything went blank," Saito said. "It's kind of like watching the television when it goes off. I had no way to associate with the real world. I was conscious but I couldn't feel anything." For Saito, thoughts raced through his mind in the 15 to 30 minutes that he was lying there waiting for help. "I wondered if I was going to die and why I couldn't feel anything," he said. "I tried to yell for help, but all I could hear coming out from me was a weak 'Help me, help me.' " A SEPTA driver noticed Saito lying on the pavement and called the police. Saito said that throughout the ordeal he struggled to maintain consciousness. "All the time I was moving, I kept telling myself to stay conscious," he said. "It's true what they say about seeing your life pass before your eyes. I saw how much I still had to do in this life and why I was at Penn [studying for the MCAT]. I realized at that moment how fragile life can be." Saito said he has no permanent damage as a result of the shooting. His top vertabrae is fractured, but he said he will only have to wear a neck brace for four to six weeks. Being in the hospital has strengthened Saito's resolve to be a doctor. But even more than that, Saito said he wants to be an advocate of campus safety, especially at Temple. "Since being here I've been told that this incident is not an isolated occurrence," said Saito, who is vice president of the Temple student government. "Shootings and stabbings have occurred there before. It makes me very angry that I was not made aware of the hazards that lurk right around the corner." University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich said last week that the last serious incident that occurred at the 36th and Sansom station happened over a year ago. He added that University Police have increased patrols around the subway stop and have asked Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority officials to increase patrols around University SEPTA stops. Saito said he has no other option but to use SEPTA to commute between the University and Temple, but said that officials must release information about "hot spots." Tony Saito, a University Dental student, said his brother's whole ordeal has taught him a lot about life. "You never think it can happen to you," he said. "Life is precious. At any time, somebody can approach you and say goodnight. That's it." And Tony Saito said that sometimes you can get so caught up in the routine that you forget to do what is most important. "For me, I never told my brother that I really loved him," he said. "Tuesday morning, when he was in critical condition, I told him." Both Saitos said they are thankful that so many friends, family members and acquaintances came to the hospital to see John. Among the visitors was Temple President Peter Liacouras. Harriet Goodheart, a Temple spokesperson, said the University has pulled together to support John, who is expected to be released from HUP today. "Everybody is very concerned, and rallying in their support," she said. "They are very concerned about what happened. We are all hoping he will make a complete recovery quickly."