Man Shot After Manners Scolding

ATLANTA,None — A Douglasville man said he was shot after trying to give another man a lesson on manners. Police are still looking for the shooter.

Jay Rodgers and his family were on their way home from a Tim McGraw concert last month when they stopped at an Atlanta Shell station so his niece could use the bathroom. He said he felt insulted after a man he encountered ignored a polite gesture.

"I opened up the door for a gentleman. He walked in, and I quietly said, 'Why don't you say thank you for holding the door open?'" Rodgers told Channel 2's Eric Philips.

When the man didn't respond, Rodgers said he followed him outside and asked him to say "thank you" again, but the man kept quiet.

"He went to his car, put whatever he purchased inside it, and he pulled out a gun and shot me from about 15 to 16 feet away from me," Rodgers said. "I passed out in my wife's arms."

Rodgers lifted his shirt to show Philips the large bandage that now covers his stomach. He said the bullet went through his intestine, nearly hitting his spine. He was hospitalized for nine days.

"I'm lucky to even be walking," Rodgers said.

He said his family has had a hard time while his injury keeps him from working for three months. He said his children are also scarred by the shooting. On Thursday, Rodgers made a plea on the Channel 2 Action News Nightbeat for the shooter to come forward.

"I'm mad, but if you're watching this, do the right thing and turn yourself in," he said.

WSBTV