BOYNTON BEACH, Fla (CBS12) — A South Florida father is counting his blessings after surviving what police say was a violent attempted robbery shooting outside a Boynton Beach gas station.
Joseph Leatherman said he stopped at a Marathon gas station near Woolbright Road and Congress Avenue Tuesday morning when a gunman approached him from behind, pressed a firearm into his back and demanded his belongings.
“The individual came up to me behind me, pressed the gun into my back and told me to give me everything I had,” Leatherman said.
Instead of complying, Leatherman said he told the suspect to leave.
“I told him to get out of here and to leave me alone. He threatened to shoot me. I continued to stand my ground and tell him to leave,” he said.
Leatherman said that’s when the suspect, identified by police as 18-year-old Christopher Porta, opened fire.
According to Leatherman, at least five shots were fired. One bullet grazed his leg. Another struck the iPhone he was carrying in his pocket inside an OtterBox case. He believes that impact prevented a much more serious injury.
“The phone saved my life. Believe it or not, it happens. Hallelujah,” Leatherman said. “I don’t know what kind of armament they put in those phones, but it deflected a 9-millimeter round away from my body. Otherwise, I would be missing part of my leg right now.”
Joseph Leatherman, 49, speaks with CBS 12 News via FaceTime from his Dania Beach home after surviving a shooting during an attempted robbery in Boynton Beach. He claims a bullet struck his cellphone, helping save his life. (WPEC)
Leatherman said the gunfire continued as he tried to escape.
“After the second shot, he looked away. And the second he looked away, I bolted for cover. And as I was running for cover, he fired three more shots in my direction,” he said.
An underwater photographer and self-described thrill seeker, Leatherman spends much of his free time diving with sharks. He believes those experiences helped him remain calm during the terrifying encounter.
However, he said he does not recommend confronting an armed robber and acknowledges the danger of the decision he made that morning.
After being released from the hospital, Leatherman spoke with CBS 12 News via FaceTime from his Dania Beach home. He showed the wound on his ankle and said pieces of bullet shrapnel remain in his leg.
Shrapnel wounds are visible on Joseph Leatherman’s leg after he says he was shot during an attempted robbery in Boynton Beach. He says fragments from the bullet remain lodged in his leg. (WPEC)
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“There’s actually shrapnel in my leg right now,” he said. “I’m carrying around a little extra.”
Meanwhile, Boynton Beach police used surveillance footage and resources from the department’s Real-Time Crime Center to help identify and arrest the suspect.
Leatherman credited investigators for their quick work and said he is grateful the suspect is no longer on the streets.
Now focused on recovery, Leatherman says he’s thankful to still be alive.
Joseph Leatherman spends his free time diving with sharks, a passion he says helped prepare him for a life-threatening encounter on land. (Instagram/Joseph Leatherman)
“The more I talk about it, the easier it is to just kind of come to grips with the situation,” he said. “And I’m just happy to be here.”
Porta remains in the Palm Beach County Jail facing charges including attempted homicide with a firearm and attempted robbery with a firearm.
