He survived a war, twice, only to be shot in the chest in his own home by strangers.
The masked men who attacked Grant Langenburg of Hillsborough County are still on the run, while the 34-year-old Iraq War veteran recovers and tries to find a way to pay a $170,000 medical bill.
"I've done two combat tours in Iraq, it's not what you expect." Langenburg said of his recently shooting. "You don't expect to get shot in your own house."
Langenburg spent eight days in the hospital. He has three broken ribs, a hole in his lung, and a bullet still lodged in his chest.
The bullet "went through my rib, hit my lung and ended up stopping on my ribcage right behind my heart," Langenburg said.
About 4 a.m. Feb. 15, three masked men barged into Langenburg's home on JR Manor Drive in Town N' Country. They wore gloves, long-sleeved shirts and pants. More than one of them wore a wig.
I "woke up, there's two guys at the foot of my bed with rifles, demanding I give them everything I had of value." Langenburg recalled.
They dug through his dresser and asked for his cell phone. Langenburg said he didn't remember where he had put it. When he told the bandits he didn't know where it was, that's when one of them shot him.
"After they shot me they ran down stairs and started grabbing whatever they could. My Xbox, video games, my tablet." Langenburg said. "Another guy downstairs was holding my roommate and two of our friends at gunpoint too."
At first, Langenburg didn't realize how bad his wound was. He said he felt a sharp pain, but didn't think it was a life threatening injury. When the home intruders ran out of the front door, he chased them attempting to get a look at their license plate. He ran for about 100 yards before he realized how bad his injury was.
"I looked down at my wound and I could see air bubbles coming, so I knew it had hit my lung," Langenburg said.
Langenburg called 911 as he walked back to his home. He sat down on the stairs where his friend started rendering aide with the assistance of the 911 dispatcher.
"I said 'I feel like I'm going to die,' everything started going black. I started puking up blood. My hearing started to go," he explained.
Today, the veteran is out of work while trying to find a way to pay his extensive medical bills. But, his priority is to help sheriff's deputies find the men who almost killed him before they attack someone else.
"I just want them to know that they will get caught," Langenburge said. "And I will be in court to make sure they are fully prosecuted."
Langenburg said he is getting some assistance from the Wounded Warrior Project. He's trying to work with the VA to help with some of the bills as well. A friend of his has also started a Gofundme page to help him get through the hardship.
