Downey road rage rampage: Teen declared brain dead after shooting

DOWNEY, Calif. (KABC) -- A 19-year-old man was declared brain dead Tuesday after a road rage shooting in Downey, where several people rushed to his side.

Police say the victim was shot in the head after pulling over to exchange information after a collision Monday night. The victim's family said the teen had been in stable condition but his health later deteriorated.

"I heard four or five 'pop, pop, pop, pops' go off. It sounded like gunshots," said Rolf Olsen.

Olsen, a Vietnam War veteran, has seen a lot, but he never expected to encounter such a gruesome scene outside his home.

"I needed to stand the guy, sit the guy up in the car because he was bleeding, bleeding, bleeding, leaning over. I knew that wasn't any good," Olsen said.

The shooting appeared to be the result of a road rage incident following an earlier traffic accident.

"My biggest concern at the time was the amount of blood loss. The cup holders were completely filled, both of them," said a nurse, who asked to remain anonymous.

The nurse, who was having dinner with her family across the street, was among the first to offer help, immediately rushing over and jumping into action.

"I signaled to my family to bring me towels, and I immediately continued to put compression on his head where he was hit," she said.

Another woman who witnessed the shooting climbed into the backseat and spoke to the injured driver who was able to respond.

"His age, his address, his mother's phone number, and she ended up calling his mother and put him on the phone with her, which just blew me away," Olsen said.

With help from witnesses, Downey police said the suspect, a man from Texas, was arrested for attempted murder.

"You couldn't have asked three different people to come together to form a more perfect union to help this guy," Olsen said.

For the nurse, it was life-changing.

"Maybe ER is actually something I am going to consider in the future. I always wanted to do pediatric oncology, but that's something that really has opened my eyes to a new career path," she said.

The victim's younger sister, who was in the car during the shooting, was not injured.