A landscaper shot near the San Diego mosque where two teenagers carried out a deadly shooting last week said he\u2019s the \u201cluckiest guy on the planet\u201d in his first statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tafu Letuli, 52, said he was inches away from meeting a horrible end to his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf not for my helmet, I would probably not be alive today,\u201d he said in the statement, which was issued through his attorney over the weekend. \u201cEvery time I think about what happened, a strange feeling triggers a flood of emotions. I feel fortunate and sad, all at the same time. I keep asking myself \u2018why me, I\u2019m just a tree trimmer?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
San Diego police said the landscaper was on a residential street a few blocks from the Islamic Center of San Diego on May 18 when he \u201cwas shot at,\u201d suffering minor injuries after he was struck on his helmet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Letuli was \u201cshot at five or six times by\u201d Cain Lee Clark and Caleb Vazquez, the gunmen who killed three men in the attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego, said Jerry Suppa, Letuli\u2019s lawyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One bullet struck the center of Letuli\u2019s helmet. He \u201cwas injured by bullet fragments that shattered his fiberglass helmet,\u201d the statement reads. \u201cHe was bleeding from his forehead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Blood ran down his face from his upper forehead, just above the hairline, down to his chin, according to the statement. He was treated at the scene, \u201cand later Letuli was treated and examined at the emergency room at a hospital near his home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Suppa told NBC News by phone Tuesday that Letuli\u2019s scalp wounds are healing and that he expects to return to work next week. San Diego police kept his helmet as evidence as it contained bullet fragments, Suppa said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although he was traumatized, Letuli considers himself \u201cthe luckiest guy on the planet,\u201d the statement said. He said he felt \u201cfortunate and sad at the same time,\u201d wondering why him. Letuli added that his heart goes out to the victims and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the people who were killed at the mosque was Amin Abdullah, 51, a security guard who officials said played an important role in limiting the loss of life. Also killed were Mansour Kazih, 78, a founding member and caretaker of the mosque; and Nadir Awad, 57, who lived across the street, whose wife was a teacher at the school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The teenage gunmen were found dead on another street near where Letuli was shot. The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime, police said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Officials believe the teens met online, where they \u201cappeared to have been radicalized,\u201d Mark Remily, special agent in charge of the FBI\u2019s San Diego field office, said last week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Investigators looking into their motives are working on authenticating a 75-page document posted online, with sections filled with extremist material espousing anti-Islamic, antisemitic and anti-LGBTQ views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a statement Monday, the Islamic center said it is \u201ccontinuing to work with law enforcement and hired security professionals to evaluate additional safety measures and determine the best path forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Suppa told NBC News on Tuesday that he felt compelled to help Letuli, who is his tree trimmer and an expert garage door fixer, by sharing a statement on behalf of his family since they have been very overwhelmed recently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Suppa said he has known Letuli for a decade and considers him a friend. He described him as a tough but peaceful man who left his native American Samoa as a child and settled in the San Diego area, where he lives with his wife and three children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAfter things settle down, Letuli will be in better shape to share his experience with others,\u201d Suppa added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n