Witness backs up victim account of road rage shooting

By Connie Leonard - bio | email

LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - WAVE 3 News has new details on a road rage shooting in Louisville.

A witness backs up the story of the man who was shot.

The victim, was hit in the chest with a 40-caliber bullet and doctors had to remove about 40 percent of his upper lung.  He has some fractured ribs and is having trouble speaking but, another man ---he's never met---is speaking for him.

"The guy who got shot was turning left in front of me,' said witness Bobby Stanley.

Stanley tells WAVE 3 News he couldn't believe what he was seeing or hearing Saturday afternoon at the intersection of Fern Valley Road and Old Shepherdsville Road.

"I just hear these two slams on my car and it was just real loud," Stanley told us.

That loud noise?  Bullets hitting and denting Stanley's car.

But, Stanley wasn't the target.  A 22-year-old Louisville father named Joshua was. Police say Joshua (who didn't want to release his last name) was shot in the chest by 49-year old Gerald Bryant.

Joshua spoke from his hospital bed through community activist Christopher 2X.

Joshua says his fiancee and two-year-old daughter were a couple of cars behind him on the road when he noticed another car on his bumper.

"Directly behind him was Mr. Gerald Bryant," 2X said.  He continued, "Joshua said, he's never met him before and he doesn't know him.

2X says Joshua wondered why the driver behind him was signaling in and out of the window like, "Get out of my way or something."

Joshua says Bryant pulled in front of him at the light, got out of the car and started cursing.

Joshua says he got out and asked, "What's the problem?"

Joshua told 2X that his fiancee pulled up and asked him to leave and everyone got back in their car.  Joshua thought it was all over.

"Mr. Bryant evidently sped up on him and then stuck the gun out the window and then started shooting inside his car," 2X continued " Joshua said he got hit one time but, there was a barrage of bullets fired inside the car."

Bryant who had a four-year-old in his car told police Joshua cut him off.

As Bryant sits in jail, Joshua's friends tell WAVE 3, he's not confrontational.  His friend " Lisa" who didn't want to give her last name said, "He's a hard working guy that takes care of his family."

Stanley said, " I mean some guy doing that kind of stuff, I know he's up for first degree assault but, that's attempted murder and you're chasing somebody down the street and shooting at him, that's just unreal."

Bryant is charged with assault and wanton endangerment.  A judge again denied a bond change for him Tuesday.  He's due back in court March 24.

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