Peninsula police released surveillance video of suspects wanted for shooting a business owner in the chest during a robbery attempt outside of a storage facility.
The victim, Richard Driscoll, 66, of Aurora, is counting his blessings after doctors said he was extremely lucky that he didn't suffer any serious internal injuries.
"They couldn't believe it. I guess it ricocheted off a rib, did no damage to the rib and came out the back (under his armpit). They let me go after a couple of CAT Scans," Driscoll told News 5. "Somebody else is going to die if that happens again."
Driscoll, who owns Northeast Tree and Stump Removal, stores vehicles and equipment at Boston Storage Max on Akron-Cleveland Road in Boston Township.
Around 5:30 a.m. on December 5, Driscoll was napping in his pickup truck at the storage facility, awaiting other crew members, when he heard running noises in the gravel.
"My window was half down. As I sat up, a gun came in the window," he said.
Driscoll, who is a concealed carry permit holder, had a gun on the front seat, but instead wrestled through the window with the man pointing a 9mm handgun. He believes his decision to not grab his own gun may have saved his life.
"I changed the position of his grip," he said. "If I had reached for my gun, it would have been a direct shot on the heart, but by wrestling with him, I turned the barrel and it came out under my shoulder."
Driscoll said he did not get a good luck at the gunman since he was wearing a hoodie and it was dark, but it appears he was not acting alone.
Surveillance video from Appalachian Outfitters captured two men walking through the parking lot after the shooting. One of the men appears to be be favoring his right hand.
Driscoll believes the gunman injured the hand when the gun recoiled, leaving his blood at the scene.
"Someone out there has some serious injuries to their hand, so maybe somebody might know somebody that has that and can relate to this," said Peninsula Police Chief Joseph Varga.
Driscoll has no idea who would try to hurt him, but believes the suspects must have figured out his early morning routine at the storage facility.
"They knew how to get to me. They knew the perfect way to come through the woods in the back of the area that they came through. They knew exactly what they were doing."
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is assisting with the case and is testing for possible DNA evidence.
Summit County Crimestoppers is offering a reward up to $2,000 for information that solves the shooting. Tipsters can remain anonymous when calling 330-434-COPS.
