"This is a great city:" Shooting victim stepping up to help other victims, improve the city of Milwaukee

MILWAUKEE -- Claudiare Motley, who is still recovering from a gunshot wound to his face, is preparing to stand before a crowd and talk about his experience -- and what he feels Milwaukee is missing.

The incident happened on June 20th, 2014. Motley was back in Milwaukee for his high school reunion.

Claudiare Motley

Motley was dropping off a friend after that, near 63rd and Capitol, when it happened.

He says as he was waiting for his friend to get inside, he started looking through his text messages and his emails on his phone — and that’s when he says he noticed a car pull up in front of him — and another behind him.

“As soon as I put the car in drive, the guy jumped out of the passenger side and tapped the window with the gun. At that point I knew I needed to get out of this situation,” Motley said.

Motley hit the gas — slamming into the car in front of him.

That’s when he says the guy with the gun pulled the trigger.

“Once he shot through the car, I knew it was all bets off. I had to get away as soon as possible,” Motley said.

Motley was able to drive away — and he headed straight for the hospital.

“When I tried to close my mouth, I just saw the blood gushing out. Just covering my shirt. At that point in time I didn`t know if I was going to make, because there was so much blood I thought I was going to pass out,” Motley said.

Claudiare Motley

After the shooting, Motley spoke with FOX6.

“I feel that maybe I took the bullet so other people can have the courage to stand up and do something about what`s happening,” Motley said.

Motley is now sharing his experience -- hoping it will help others in Milwaukee.

"This wasn't going to define who we were, and who I was. I think that this is a great city, and I think that it has a lot of potential to be better, and to do better," Motley said.

Motley is still recovering from the shooting, more than a year later.

"Peeled my face up, so that they could put a complete wire around the jawline," Motley said.

Nathan King

16-year-old Nathan King (who was 15 at the time of the incident) has pleaded guilty to two felony charges -- two counts of attempted armed robbery as party to a crime. King will be sentenced on Thursday, July 16th.

This, as Motley is scheduled to share his story and what he has learned in the year since the incident during what is billed as a Survivor Empowerment informational meeting on Wednesday evening.

"You have to know what's going on within your community. You have to know the laws, and what's being passed in your community. You need to know what programs are available. We're gonna be strong for our friends. We're gonna be strong for our families. We're gonna be strong for this community. We're going to show that there's a route that we can take to demand a difference. I wanted to also show people their victims' rights and how they can go ahead and speak up and make sure that they can bring themselves justice, and also closure to the situation that they're in," Motley said.

There is also a documentary film about Motley's experience as a survivor of violence set for release later this year or early next year. It will highlight his first year of recovery, including his graduation from law school just months after the shooting.