Police are searching for the men reponsible for shooting a former soldier at a truck stop in Emporia.

Corey Batts says he and his friend were confronted by three men at Love's Truckstop in Emporia on January 20th. Batts said he told the men he didn't want any trouble, but as he tried to walk away, they opened fire.

"Boom, just like that, point blank, just like that," he said. "Before I knew it, I was shot in the face. I mean, just, like, a blink of an eye; a snap of the finger, I was shot in the face."

Batts, who just recently got out of the Army after three tours in Iraq, says his military training instantly kicked in.

"I grabbed the steering wheel, just like this, and I pulled myself all the way up to here, and just hit the gas."

Batts drove himself to safety. His car is full of bullet holes from the continuing attack, and the bullet ricocheted in Batts' mouth, breaking his jaw. It remains lodged behind his ear, with a fragment pressing on an artering in his neck. However, for his family, Batts being alive to tell the story is a miracle.

"He is 26-years-old today, thank you Jesus," said his mother, Bridget Batts Squires. "It's just a blessing to have him here. He was protected by the angles because no one thought he was going to make it."

Batts is thankful to be alive, and is confident the shooters will be caught, though he can not make sense of the violence.

From Greensville Co. Sherrif's Office

Darrin Ray Lee, suspect

"Why did this happen to me," he asked. "I wake up everyday and ask myself, 'Why?'"

The Greensville Co. Sherrif's Department is looking for two suspects in the case, 26-year-old Darrin Ray Lee and 21-year-old Jamar Montrel Douglas, both of Franklin.

If you have any information on their whereabouts, please call Crime Line at 434-634-1111.