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ALEX LEARYSam Marry, 20, said he was sitting in his New Port Richey yard, heard shots and was hit in the back of the head.
NEW PORT RICHEY - Diane Kreuzman was driving back to Holiday from her job in Palm Harbor. The rappers Cash Money Millionaires thumped from her speakers, and at first she didn't hear her cell phone ringing. She answered. It was her boyfriend, Sam Marry. "Hey baby, I've been shot. . . . Hurry up and get here. I don't want to die."
Kreuzman, 19, punched the gas.
About the same time Wednesday afternoon, Spencer and Linda Hodges heard banging on their door. Marry was standing outside, holding the back of his head.
Blood trickled from his neck. "I've been shot. I need help. I'm getting ready to pass out."
He fell down in their driveway, then got up and walked across the front yard. Marry slumped into a white plastic patio chair outside his home on Royal Palm Drive.
It was just after 4 p.m. when Linda Hodges called 911.
Police and rescue workers - and Kreuzman - arrived and Marry was put on a stretcher and whisked away to a nearby church parking lot where a Bayflite helicopter rushed him to Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg.
"I can't believe this is happening," Kreuzman said, smoking a cigarette, tears running down her cheeks. After talking with police, Kreuzman got in her car and headed for the hospital.
Marry, 20, told police he had been sitting in the back yard and heard several shots. He said he'd been hit in the back of the head.
Marry was shaken up but his injuries did not appear serious, police said. He was in good condition Wednesday night, a hospital nurse said.
New Port Richey police officers, meanwhile, still were investigating. They had not found a weapon, bullet casings or a suspect as of Wednesday evening. A canvass of the neighborhood did not turn up anything, police said. No one police spoke to heard shots.
"It's too early to speculate," Capt. Darryl Garman said. "When we get a chance to interview him again we'll know more." Marry was to be released Wednesday night from the hospital, police said, but the Times could not get details about his injury.
Neighbors said Marry, who works at Popeye's restaurant in New Port Richey, is well-mannered around the neighborhood.
"He's a great kid," said Susan Pigott, whose son is good friends with Marry. "He is always very respectful."
Ryan Pigott, 20, said his friend moved in about a year ago and lives with his mom. "He's always there for you. Last night, he was helping me install a stereo in a car I just bought. He's just one of those guys who will help out a friend."
Marry is a skilled freestyle rapper, Pigott said. "When you play a beat, he just goes. It's amazing what he can put together without thinking, the lyrics he can accomplish."
- Alex Leary can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6247, or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6247. His e-mail address is leary@sptimes.com