ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – An Albuquerque man says he is thankful to be alive after being shot in the face earlier this week while leaving his neighborhood grocery store. 

Jeremy Gibson says this happened when he confronted three teens who looked like they were up to no good. 

His suspicions were right, but what he did not expect was those teens turning their attentions on him, shooting him as he tried to get away. 

This all happened at the Smith’s on Constitution and Carlisle Monday evening. The victim says he was leaving the store when he noticed the three teen suspects huddled together in the parking lot and thought they were getting ready to shoplift. That’s when he decided to say something to them, a decision that nearly cost him his life.

“I thought I was going to die. It came out right here. This is the exit wound they stitched up,” said Gibson. 

The bullet passed next to his eye, barely missing his brain. 

“I remember seeing the flashes and then being hit immediately. I could not see out of my left eye at that point,” said Jeremy Gibson. 

Gibson says Monday night’s routine was a familiar one at this Smith’s.

“I go there every other day almost,” said Gibson. 

As he was leaving, three teen boys huddled in the parking lot with neck gaiters on caught his attention. 

“I walked by and said, ‘Why are you guys putting masks on? Are you getting ready to rob the store?'” said Gibson. 

He says the teens just stared him down. Gibson went to his car to call 911 but realized he left his phone at home. Then, as he was driving out of the parking lot:

“It was, ‘pop, pop, pop,’” said Gibson. 

Gibson – seriously injured but alive – knew he had to get away and stepped on the gas.

“Stay awake. Stay awake. Stay awake. You have to be awake and make it to someone to help,” Gibson said. 

He was able to drive himself to the Hampton Inn on Carlisle and Menaul where he flagged down guests who called 911. 

At the hospital, he learned the bullet shattered a bone in his face and damaged his eye. 

It’s unclear if he will recover his vision. It was devastating news since he works in the film industry and is an artist. 

“Now I am going to miss out on a major part of my career,” said Gibson. 

Gibson says he confronted the teens, thinking of his own two sons. 

“I figured maybe if I said something they might turn around and go home and rethink. But I was wrong about that,” Gibson said. 

Gibson has a message to the shooter. 

“Please come forward. Do the right thing. You may have not meant to hit me, you may have meant to scare me. Not only did you scare me, you almost killed me,” said Gibson. 

KOB 4 reached out to APD for a comment. They say this is an ongoing investigation and no arrests have been made.

Gibson is hopeful security cameras caught images of the suspect. 

We did reach out to Smith’s stores for a comment. In a statement, they said they are cooperating with police. 

Gibson has set up a GoFundMe to help with medical expenses.