ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – A day after a mysterious shooting shut down westbound State Road 408 near Semoran Boulevard Thursday, deputies are searching for the shooter while the victim's family says the young man who was shot in the head is in a medically induced coma.
Craig Arroyo Jr., 21, was found suffering from two gunshot wounds in his head. The driver's side of his white Honda Civic was littered with seven bullet holes.
"He did pull through the operation, very critical operation, to withdraw two bullet fragments from his head," said the victim's dad, Craig Arroyo Sr.
He was at home when he says he got the call around 7 p.m. Thursday that his son had been shot. On the 15-minute drive to Orlando Regional Medical Center, Arroyo Sr. said he was thinking the worst.
"The whole time I was driving I was thinking, 'Please God , just let my son be alive," Arroyo Sr. said.
He also said if his son were alive, he didn't think he'd be coherent. However, when Arroyo Sr. walked into the hospital, he said hearing his son's screams of pain were more like songs.
"He was yelling and screaming that he was in pain, but it was like music to my ears because I expected him to be brain dead or something," he said.
Arroyo Sr. also said his son recognized him.
"'Pops, Pops, I love you,'" he recalled.
He said his son, whom he calls CJ, wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for the two passersby who stopped to help as he was bleeding on the side of the road.
"My son was bleeding to death," Arroyo Sr. said. "They all say we got a guardian angel."
One of those passersby was Zach Pamer, a former Army medic of 10 years, who went on three deployments to Iraq and received three Purple Hearts. The moment he saw the car riddled with bullets on the side of the busy highway, Pamer said he had to stop.
"He was trying to get out but he was semiconscious and he really couldn't do much to open the door," Pamer recalled. "I broke the windows, got in there and started treatment the best I could."
Pamer said he tried to keep Arroyo Jr. awake by asking him questions while checking the two gunshot wounds on the side of his head.
"He told me his name and that was it," Pamer said. "I just wanted to make sure that he was there and knew that I was there to help him."
Pamer stayed until medics arrived. Today, Arroyo Sr. is grateful for that.
"Thank you to the Army medic, whoever he is. I really appreciate everything he did and it's because of him and the glory of God that my son is still alive," Arroyo Sr. said.
As for the investigation, Orange County deputies say this shooting is still a mystery. They say none of the witnesses on SR 408 heard gunshots.
However, they did say it looked like Arroyo Jr.'s car had been in a crash. Detectives are working with the Florida Highway Patrol to check traffic cameras to see if they show anything.
But with no witnesses and not being able to speak to CJ himself, deputies say they need to rely on the public for answers.
"Our biggest challenge right now is not knowing," said Orange County Deputy Ingrid Tejada-Monforte. "We just don't know yet and as soon as our victim is able to speak to our detectives, hopefully we will get more answers."
If you heard any gunshots or may have seen anything in the area of Goldenrod Road and SR 408 between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday, call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477).
The family has also set up a GoFundMe Page to help with CJ's medical expenses, click here for more information.