Chicago Man Shot While Delivering Pizza Shares Story of Survival

Just over two weeks after a food delivery driver was shot, he is speaking out about the day that forever changed his life. 

The husband and father spoke to NBC 5 exclusively, sharing his story of survival and recovery. 

"I don’t feel like it’s fair for somebody to come and do that to a person," said Mario Ruiz, with tears in his eyes.

For the first time, Ruiz, a delivery driver, talked publicly about being robbed and shot on the job in Humboldt Park at the beginning of February.

"Two weeks ago, I was normal. I was working, I was walking and now I need assistance with everything," he said.

Ruiz said he was delivering a pizza near Central Avenue and West Iowa when the man who ordered the pizza allegedly robbed him.

"He had a gun, and he told me to give him my money and my phone, and so I stuck my hand in my pocket and gave him the cash, and I said 'take the food, take the pizza,' and he says give me your phone and I told him 'no I’m not going to give you my phone,'" explained Ruiz.

Ruiz said he didn't give up his phone, explaining he doesn't "make that much money so it will be very hard to replace."

After Ruiz struggled with the thief, he said he was shot.

"The bullet shattered my knee and my shin bone and went through and fractured my other shin bone," he said. "I fell to the ground, and I was holding onto the clip for dear life. If he would have got it, he probably would have kept shooting and then he just started beating me with the gun on top of my head, so I was all bloody and bruised."

Ruiz said his wife who does deliveries with him called the police.

He spent thirteen days at the hospital before being transferred to a rehabilitation facility a couple days ago. 

Ruiz is slowly recovering—doctors tell him he won’t be able to walk for months—leaving him without a job. 

His family has started an online fundraiser to cover medical expenses.

"Unfortunately, I am in the situation where if you don’t work today you don’t eat today," he said.

As of Friday, no one was in custody, according to Chicago police.

"I just want somebody to stop him for the simple fact I don’t want this to happen to anybody else," said Ruiz.