DENVER (KDVR) — A Denver man remains in the hospital after he was shot while walking his dog Wednesday.
According to police, Darian Simon was out for a walk with his girlfriend Isabella Thallas, when a man shot them through his apartment window.
According to family, Simon has now had 3 blood transfusions, after being shot twice.
Isabella Thallas, 21, was killed in that shooting.
“I can only imagine the pain he’s in,” says Simon’s step-brother Drick Bernstine. “He’s somehow remaining relatively strong.”
Since Wednesday, Bernstine says Simon has had multiple surgeries, including one to fix a broken femur.
He says Simon found out from his hospital bed that Thallas had not survived.
Simon briefly watched a candlelight vigil for Thallas from his hospital over FaceTime on Thursday.
“They weren’t just in a relationship, they were in love,” says Bernstine. “I’ve never seen him care for a person like that. I’ve seen him have high school sweethearts, but this was different.”
Simon is the co-owner of Be a Good Person, a Denver-based clothing brand.
Bernstine says that motto is something Simon lives by.
“It’s a basic concept, but as you can see, it’s not basic for everybody, because evil still exists,” he says. “He won’t let ‘Be a Good Person’ be just a clothing brand anymore, he’ll make sure he makes Bella proud, more than anything.”
A fundraiser has been created to help Simon pay for medical bills.
A separate fundraiser has also been created for Isabella Thallas’ family.