JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A man shot by two strangers outside a Motel 6 as his wife ran for safety is making an emotional plea for help as the couple is on the verge of homelessness with his wounds still fresh.
The man – First Coast News has agreed to call "Rocky" – was outside of the Baymeadows motel room when he says two men approached him, offered drugs then turned violent when he refused.
"He slaps me and when I go to defend myself, that's when the other guy grabs a knife," Rocky said.
He added he was able to distract the men as his wife ran for help.
RELATED: Man shot at motel on Philips Hwy., suspects fled on foot
"The main thing is I saved my wife's life is how I feel," Rocky said.
The bullet shattered his pelvic bone, requiring a plate and 46 staples. The pain is sometimes unbearable, he explained limping from the bed to the bathroom.
We showed Rocky a picture of a man arrested by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office in connection to the shooting. Rocky says the photo was indeed the man who initially approached him in the parking lot and forced his way into his motel room.
Police arrested 22-year-old Steve Browder III in connection with the case.
Rocky says he and his wife have barely slept in the days. They were living at the motel before the shooting but says when they returned after getting out of the hospital, their belongings were gone.
Out of money and soon they'll be out of a place to stay. A GoFundMe has been set up to help with their expenses.
"This is all I have to wear and I'm bleeding through my clothes and this is the food we have right there," Rocky said. "We don't have nothing anymore."
The On Your Side team has reached out to the Jacksonville Victim's Services, which Rocky plans to meet with on Monday. Until then – the stress from injury and aftermath continues to build.
"This is the worst situation that could have happened to us and in this situation -- I just don't know," Rocky said.