Baron Li.Photo: Meron Menghistab
Life’s looking a lot better these days for the 49-year-old father, he tells PEOPLE.
Li recently returned to his position as a sales manager at a Toyota dealership in Burien, Wash., after spending 15 months at home.
“I’m on light duty,” says Li, noting that his doctors had projected he wouldn’t be back to work until January. “My job doesn’t take any manual labor, so now that I can sit and walk decently without much discomfort, I decided to come back.”
“I was going stir crazy at home,” he adds.
He survived gunshot wounds to both arms, both legs, his left hip, and his chest. Li’s ex, Shaerin Kelley, remains in custody after being charged with attempted murder.
Bellevue Police allegethat Kelley, 31, promised to pay two 17-year-olds, Joseph Good and Quincy Mendez, $13,000 to kill her ex-husband. Good and Quincy are also charged as adults with attempted murder.
None of the three defendants have entered pleas to the charges, and their attorneys have not responded to calls for comment.
At the time of the shooting, Li and Kelley were embroiled in a bitter custody battle over their son, Arik.
Li tells PEOPLE he’s been informed that Kelley’s criminal trial likely will not commence until the summer of 2022.
“Detectives are still working on more evidence,” he says. “That was the biggest delay. They want to make sure they get everybody, including any additional co-conspirators who may have been part of it. … They want to piece everything together before they go to trial, and make sure they get everybody.”
Li says that while he awaits closure through the impending trial, he continues with his occupational therapy — designed to combat the constant numbness he’s felt in his right arm since the 2020 shooting.
“It’s also about making sure there’s no permanent nerve damage,” Li adds, noting he can “finally touch the top of my head again.” He does not yet have full use of his right arm, which makes putting jackets and suits on difficult.
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Li says he continues to experience pain at times, due to the three bullets still lodged in his legs and left arm. But he’s glad things are moving in the right direction.
“It’s been good,” Li reflects, looking back on the last year.
This Christmas, Li says he and his family will be hitting the road for a two-week trip through Montana and the Dakotas on their way to Mount Rushmore and Devil’s Tower. Then, they’ll drive to Yellowstone before heading home, he says.
A GoFundMe campaign, started to help Li recovered lost wages, is still accepting donations.
source: people.com
