BUFFALO, NY - Local chef and restaurateur Alex Pozantitus is truly lucky to be alive, after surviving a robbery at his brand new restaurant on Transit Road nearly two years ago.
He was shot at point blank range in the Zoe restaurant - and he lived to tell the tale.
"It's been rough. I'm not able to use my arm, numbness...you can see scars, it's been a long haul," Chef Pozantitus told Scott Levin.
It was Labor Day weekend, a hot Summer day, when Pozantitus and his wife Sheila were closing up late at night. They had an extremely successful launch for the brand new location that week, and were riding high on the American dream and the pride of their achievements.
Sticking to routine, Pozantitus went out to his car with the days receipts when he was approached by a masked gunman - who ordered him to hand over his briefcase. He did as he was told...but the situation escalated fast.
Pozantitus says, "I didn't know I was shot. I remember I ended up on the ground per his demand...I looked under my car as my face was on the gravel, and I saw my wife running to me. The next thing I remember was a deafening sound in my right ear. I was saying to myself, 'What was that, and where is my wife?' I looked up and he was running away with my briefcase."
Sheila was shot at too, but the bullet missed her. So she ran back inside, called 911, and then drove her husband to the hospital as fast as she could. His arm was completely shattered, and the pain unbearable.
"And thank the Lord it was a small caliber gun. Any bigger, my arm would not be here today. On another note, I still have a bullet in my abdomen. I asked the doctor, 'Why not remove it?' Well he said it's in a safe area..." he says.
But still, the damage done to Pozantitus' arm has greatly affected his ability to work and move around in the kitchen - the one place he really feels at home.
"I have no feeling in my hand. These don't bend anymore, so holding a knife, or spatula, or even a spoon [are] things I still can't do" he says.
Video surveillance and Pozantitus' description were enough to help police identify the robber - a former employee at the restaurant.
At one time the robber was his "go-to guy," Pozantitus told Scott, who always told his employer how grateful he was to have the job. But one day, he stopped showing up for work.
And a few months after the shooting incident, authorities were able to find him. "He is a menace, a predator. His record over time...he should not even be walking the streets," says Pozantitus.
Chef Pozantitus is now enjoying life, taking a time to enjoy his success, and is especially enjoying the time he spends with the love of his life, Sheila.
"There's no words, Scott, that can express my feelings for my wife. I love her more than anything in this world. I would climb the highest mountain...I'll do whatever it takes for my wife."