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Local Tattoo Artist On The Road To Recovery
By: Russ Heltman
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ATHENS, Ohio – Nearly a month after being shot, The owner of Thunder Bunny Tattoo Parlor is on the road to recovery with the support of his friends, family, and the Athens community.
Around 2 a.m. on Jan. 19 Alex Andrews, 29, was shot through his kitchen window with what police identified as a sawed-off shotgun. Andrews suffered multiple wounds while shielding a friend in the house from harm. Paramedics rushed Andrews to OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital before airlifting him for life-saving surgery.
Unknown Attacker
The incident took a toll on Andrews’ body; on top of all the physical injuries — losing vision in one eye, fracturing his skull, diminished hearing, and over 32 stitches — Andrews has to deal with the psychological issues caused by the violent attack.
One of those being that the shooter is still on the loose.
Police have zero leads three weeks into the investigation and it has put Andrews and his family on alert. Terri Jean, Andrews’ mother, wants to be sure her son stays safe, making it impossible for her to disclose her son’s recovery location.
“Right now we have absolutely no idea who it was; we thought it may have been somebody he maybe didn’t hire who wanted to work there, or someone who had an outburst with him,” Terri Jean said during a phone interview. “Those have all been dead-ends and at this point, we cannot find a motive.”
Police have recently put the case on Crime Stoppers for help finding leads.
Rallying Behind Andrews
Alex Andrews, a graduate of Alexander High School, has long called Southeast Ohio home. He opened Thunder Bunny Tattoo Parlor in February, 2013. His employees have a special bond with their boss.
Friend and fellow artist Garrett Hyatt said he wouldn’t be working at Thunder Bunny if it weren’t for Andrews.
“We met a little over a year ago in Las Vegas, messed around the city for a few days and did a lot of wacky stuff, all the while he was telling me how cool Athens was,” Hyatt said.
The two became fast friends once Hyatt made the move to Ohio and he has taken on a lot of the managerial duties while Andrews is recovering.
Hyatt has even taken the time to raise awareness outside of the tattoo parlor. Andrews’ favorite bar in Athens, the Union, put on a benefit this past Monday that Hyatt hosted.
“I think we raised like $300, so not much, but it’s something, and that’s the thing, people that don’t need to are going out of their way to support their fellow Athenian,” he said.
Terri Jean has led the charge in raising funds to cover her son’s six-figure medical bills. The gofundme account she created on Jan. 24 has a goal of $20,000. So far 154 people have contributed close to $13,000.
The Athens Police Department is asking anyone with information about the shooting to call them at (740) 592-3315.