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This message was posted by his daughter today, for friends and well wishers:
"Dear friends and family,
I will begin this post by saying that my Dad is pulling through.
There are not words to express how grateful we are for the abundance of love, kindness, and support we have been showered with over the last 24 hours. Your words are truly getting us through this time and mean more to us than you know. Many of you asked how you can help, but you may not realize that your words are already such a huge help for us. We will know about more direct ways you can help in a few days, once we have a better idea of his recovery process. We are in total awe of this huge support system and of all the people who are reaching out to express their love of my Dad and say such kind words about who he is as a person. That, above all, gets us through.
For those that perhaps still do not know, my dad, Tom Townsend, was shot in the neck by a car jacker on Monday night. His jaw was shattered by the shot and an artery in his cheek was severed, but no major arteries were hit and no organs were hit. It is truly miraculous. I have strong faith that Alex was protecting him. He will need jaw reconstruction surgery and it will be a long road to recovery, but I am so inspired by his strength and bravery through all of this. As of now, he is under heavy sedation and will be for a number of days. Even so, he is responsive and aware of his situation. He is communicating with us through waves and head nods, assuring us that he knows we are there. He actually gave a thumbs up to Joe and my mom from the ambulance Monday night. He is remarkable.
As for visiting him in the hospital, unfortunately hospital policy states that he cannot have any visitors except for me, Nate, and my mom. This is an important rule meant to protect his safety. It means the world to us that you want to see him and be there for him, but for now sending your love and prayers from home is all that he needs. Thank you so much for understanding.
Please keep sending your love and your prayers, because it really does mean everything to all of us. We are not allowed to have our phones at the hospital because of a policy meant to protect victims of violent crime, but just know we see you, we hear you, and we love you so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you for everything.
My dad is a fighter. He is remarkable. His strength inspires us all."
Well written. I hope they catch the scumbag that pulled the trigger.
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