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Alpine Man Reflects on Recovery After Las Vegas Shooting

Doctors are still uncertain if Mike Caster will be able to walk again

An Alpine man, injured in the Las Vegas shooting, told NBC 7 he may never walk again but he’s finding strength through everyone around him.

The Chainsmokers and country star Jason Aldean are visiting some fans from the Route 91 country music festival who were injured in the Oct. 1 shooting.

Aldean was on stage performing when the gunman started shooting, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds of others.

For Mike Caster and his family still at a hospital in Las Vegas, the visit was an encouraging moment.

"That was a good surprise, that uplifted our spirits a little bit. So, I've been trying to stay positive going into the rehab that I'm going to but he really made Sunday a good day," explained Caster.

Caster and his family were sitting in lawn chairs when they heard the gunshots and saw people running. They started running as well and that's when Caster was shot in the back. 

"I had gotten it right through the back and right at that moment I had no movement in my lower body," he said.

His girlfriend got him to a nearby tent and a group of people carried him to a truck to get to the hospital.

"I'm lucky to be alive at this point. A lot of people were less fortunate to get out of there, maybe they had similar types of injuries, but my girlfriend acted quickly. She found people to help me," Caster said.

Caster will go to a rehab facility specializing in spinal injuries. 

"Despite the situation, they had smiles on their faces," said Caster's childhood friend Josh Lawson, reflecting on visiting him in the hospital. "They were talking about the future, and they were talking in sentences full of hope. They know it's going to be hard work, but he's willing to put it in. He's willing to do whatever it takes to get up out of that chair."

On Nov. 2, The Comedy Palace in Clairemont will donate all proceeds from the show to help Caster with his recovery. For more information, click here.

A GoFundMe page has also been set up to help pay for Caster's medical expenses.

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