Wildland firefighter paralyzed after Wesley Chapel shooting: 'I was convinced I was going to die’
Victim remembers drive-by shooting
Anthony Lunetta, a Wildland firefighter and father, was shot multiple times in the early morning hours of Nov. 12 at an apartment complex on Addlestone Avenue in Wesley Chapel. FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis reports.
WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. - Anthony Lunetta, a Wildland firefighter and father, was shot multiple times in the early morning hours of Nov. 12 at an apartment complex on Addlestone Avenue in Wesley Chapel.
Courtesy: Anthony Lunetta
What we know:
Lunetta says he was visiting his girlfriend when her ex-boyfriend, 26-year-old Johnathan Kaneaster, approached them as they were getting into a car.
Related: Man in custody, 1 hospitalized after shooting in Wesley Chapel: PCSO
Lunetta told FOX 13 he got out of the vehicle to try to calm the situation. That’s when he was shot four times, including in the leg and arm, shattering bones.
Witnesses told investigators Kaneaster kicked Lunetta in the head after he fell to the ground.
Lunetta spent 11 days in a coma and has since undergone seven surgeries.
Doctors implanted titanium rods in his leg, hip, arm and shoulder and two more surgeries are scheduled for January.
Courtesy: Anthony Lunetta
He is currently in a wheelchair.
What they're saying:
Lunetta says he is living with constant physical pain and recurring nightmares that replay the shooting.
He told FOX 13 he often struggles to sleep and is haunted by the fear he felt in those moments.
Courtesy: Anthony Lunetta
A former elite "hotshot" firefighter, Lunetta says the injuries may prevent him from ever returning to the career he loves.
Lunetta’s attorney, Okoye Morgan with Black Law Company, says the priority right now is his client’s recovery as the criminal case moves forward. "Justice for our client is the ultimate goal," Morgan said. "Right now, our biggest concern is his ability to recover during this time as he’s going through physical, emotional and mental turmoil."
The other side:
Pasco County deputies arrested Kaneaster, who is charged with attempted murder, discharging a firearm from a vehicle and battery.
Courtesy: Pasco County Sheriff's Office
According to court documents, Kaneaster told investigators he fired those shots because he believed Lunetta had a gun and feared he would be shot first.
However, Lunetta’s girlfriend told deputies that after the shooting, Kaneaster returned and made statements suggesting he should have killed Lunetta.
The Source: This article is based on a FOX 13 News interview with victim Anthony Lunetta, statements from his attorney, Okoye Morgan of Black Law Company, and information from Pasco County Sheriff’s Office arrest reports and court documents.