ATLANTA — “Forgive them, Father, they know not what they have done.”
This Bible verse was quoted by Lima Central Catholic graduate Mike Lash as he bled profusely on the floor of his Atlanta residence Sunday night after being shot in a home invasion.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Lash was trying to protect his family when he was shot in both legs by a group of male intruders, who have yet to be identified by police. The Lash family had just returned home from a beach vacation when several teenagers approached Lash on his front porch.
According to multiple reports, the teenagers asked if they could borrow a jack for their car, then attempted to force their way inside. When Lash tried to shut the front door, he was shot by one of assailants.
Lash’s wife, Whitney, was inside putting the couple’s 6-month-old daughter to bed when the incident occurred. Her mother, Jessica Huffman, told Atlanta’s Channel 2 Action News that when Whitney heard the shots, she grabbed her child and ran toward the back door.
The suspects fired two shots at Whitney, but missed her as she escaped out the back door of her home. Huffman said Whitney told the suspects, ‘Please don’t shoot me, I have a little baby.’
The young mother and her daughter were not injured as a result of the attack. The couple’s 2-year-old son was asleep upstairs in the home and was also not injured.
Police said the couple’s home was ransacked, but the intruders were gone by the time they arrived. Two iPhones were taken from the family but were turned off shortly after the suspects escaped.
Michael was able to speak to police and EMS personnel when they arrived, officials said. It was at that time he uttered the Bible verse from Luke 23:34.
“His immediate grace and forgiveness for others in the midst of life and death is a constant reminder for me as I feel anger trying to creep in,” Whitney wrote on a fundraising page that was created to help the Lash family with medical bills. As of Wednesday evening, more than $71,000 had been raised.
“We are overwhelmed with the compassion everyone has shown us during this time,” Whitney stated. “Thank you for your continued prayers as this will be a long recovery not only physically but mentally as well. We love you all.”
At 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Whitney’s father, Tim, provided an update on Michael’s condition.
“Our son-in-law Mike made some painful but significant progress yesterday taking his first few steps using a walker,” he wrote. “One of his legs is doing very well because the bullet passed through that thigh without hitting bone or artery. He has some serious nerve damage in the other leg which will require many months of physical therapy.”
He said doctors expect to release Michael from the hospital this week.
Several Lima-area residents reached out to the family through the fundraising page, including LCC teacher Deb Schenk.
“I shared your story with my classes at LCC today and there are many prayers being offered on your behalf,” Schenk stated. “… once a T-Bird, always a T-Bird. Lots of love from Lima.”
The fundraising page can be found at gofundme.com/jh22z2c4.
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