Pastor Shot In Head In Road Rage Incident Regains Consciousness
A pastor shot in a road rage incident in West Palm Beach, Florida has regained consciousness, local media outlets report.
Steven Simon, pastor of Straight Way to Heaven Ministries in West Palm Beach, was shot in the head while driving on Interstate 95 last Thursday night. Officials with the Martin County Sheriff's Office say Simon was involved in a road rage incident with another driver, who allegedly pulled a gun from his car and shot Simon in the head.
"Unfortunately, road rage is becoming a part of our culture. People get upset where there was a slow down. It's just absolutely ludicrous to let a situation like this escalate," Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said in a statement following the incident.
Simon was initially put into a medically-induced coma to help with the swelling of his brain, and he is reportedly regaining consciousness and talking to doctors and nurses at a hospital in Broward County.
On Monday, he reportedly squeezed his mother's hand to indicate he could understand her.
Members of the Straight Way to Heaven church dedicated all of this past weekend's masses to Simon's quick recovery, as well as donated $2,000 to Simon's family to help with medical costs.
"Everybody now gonna [sic] stand up and pray more for him and we want to do more in the community because we love him so much," church member Denise Lafortune told WPTV, adding that the incident is "tragic for us and the community."
Police are now reportedly searching for a grey haired, older white gentleman driving a Gold Chrysler Concorde, according to a description provided to local authorities by Simon.
