One of the victims of last week's random shootings in Colorado still in hospital, "very angry"
It has been nearly a week since apparently random shootings in Aurora sent three people to the hospital. Now, one of those victims is speaking out about the Colorado crime.
"it's irritating," said 35-year-old Kenneth Lottes. "I was shot in my elbow, grazed on my left chest. The doctor told me my elbow was shattered. My forearm, my bones, are shattered in there."
Kenneth, who requested to not show his face on camera, spoke with CBS Colorado from his hospital bed. He says he was driving to work with his mother the night of June 27 when they encountered someone swerving erratically in their car along Smoky Hill Road.
"I did a U-turn. I thought the guy was either drunk or having a medical emergency, so I turn around to see if he's okay," said Kenneth. "Once we get to the car, I pull my phone out, I look up and next thing I know I see a guy standing at the back of his car with a gun pointed at us."
Kenneth says the gunman started firing at their car and struck him in the arm. Kenneth raced away from the scene and stopped in a nearby neighborhood off of Smoky Hill Road for help.
"I didn't even know my mom was shot at the time," he said. "As soon as I got out, I grabbed my belt off my pants and I ran towards a house to have someone help me put a tourniquet on my arm."
"Once the initial shock wore off, I was livid, angry, very angry," said Adam Lottes.
Adam is Kenneth's older brother, who found out about the incident while he was back home in Washington. He was livid to also find out the man who allegedly shot his family members, 34-year-old Austin Benson, had committed similar acts of violence dating back to 2018.
"I just find it so outrageous that this guy slipped through the cracks," said Adam.
"He should be locked up for life. That's what he should get. I don't care if he's mentally ill or not. He shouldn't have guns. He shouldn't have been on the streets. He should've been locked up," said Kenneth.
Kenneth's mother is now out of the hospital recovering from her injuries while Kenneth still waits to learn if his left arm can be saved.
"Her hand is swollen and she's going to have some physical therapy to get that back and get the blood flow going the way it's supposed to be," said Adam about his mother's recovery.
Looking back, Kenneth tells CBS Colorado he wishes he never turned around to see whether or not individual in the vehicle, who turned out to be the shooting suspect, was okay. Yet, he also thinks that stopping to check on that car may have stopped the suspect in his tracks.
"I think he would've hurt more people," said Kenneth.