ORLANDO, Fla. -- A man was shot and critically injured on State Road 408 Thursday evening.
- Craig Arroyo was shot in vehicle on SR 408 Thursday night
- He was found semiconscious in driver's seat
- He underwent surgery, expected to recover, deputies said
Orange County Sheriff's deputies said Friday that 21-year-old Craig Arroyo was recovering from surgery and expected to recover.
According to investigators, Arroyo was driving a white two-door Honda at about 6 p.m. when he was shot while driving on westbound near S.R. 408 near Goldenrod Road.
He was found by former Army medic Zachary Palmer semiconscious in the driver's seat and taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center as a trauma alert.
Palmer was able to get into the car by breaking the window, and he began performing treatment to save his life before EMTs arrived.
"I saw a lot of stuff like this in my time overseas. I didn't even think, I just jumped right in there and did what I could to help the guy out," Palmer said.
“He was sluggish in and out of consciousness. I got him to talk to me a little bit, tell me his name and I just told him 'just keep looking at me, I’m here to help you. I’m going to do what I can to get you taken care of,'” he continued.
It's unclear how Arroyo sustained the gunshot wound, but investigators are looking for witnesses and say Arroyo's vehicle may have been involved in a minor crash before the shooting.
“He’s always been just a sweetheart of a guy with my kids, especially my younger ones; he went to school with my oldest,” said Tony Bravo, a close friend of the family for 13 years.
Family and friends tell Spectrum News 13 that Arroyo had his fourth surgery Friday to reduce swelling, and they don’t yet know the extent of any brain damage. He was in critical condition.
Westbound S.R. 408 was shut down in the area for several hours Thursday night during the investigation.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS.
Anchor/Reporter Cheryn Stone contributed to this story.