Simply sitting on his couch is painful . The walker next to Roy Middleton is the constant reminder that he is a long way from being healed . `` How do I feel about what happened ? '' he said . `` How would anybody feel getting shot ? '' Still visibly angry , Roy Middleton , 60 , sat down with CNN for his first television interview since sheriff 's deputies mistook him for a car thief and shot at him 15 times in his driveway , outside his own car . He may be the luckiest man you 've read about in a long time . Why ? Because , somehow , 13 of those bullets managed to miss him . The Florida man 's leg was shattered and is now being held together by metal rods . `` I ask myself why they shot me first . And why they shoot me so many times afterwards . Yeah , I ask why -- that 's all I can ask is why , '' he told CNN . Escambia County sheriff 's deputies were responding to a neighbor 's 911 call when they arrived in Middleton 's Pensacola neighborhood early in the morning on July 27 . Middleton said he had had a couple of beers earlier and had just come home from a friend 's house . He said he was sober . He was in his car in his driveway but was mistaken for a car thief by his neighbor . Escambia County sheriff 's Deputy Jeremiah Meeks and Sgt . Matthew White walked up his driveway . According to Sheriff David Morgan , Middleton did not respond to their commands and kept going into and out of the car . With his car keys , which had a small gold flashlight on them , in his hand , Middleton allegedly lunged at the deputies . He was unarmed . `` The point to making the comments about the lunging was his herky-jerky movements that he was making . And again , a failure to follow the deputies ' instructions , '' Morgan said . That 's when Meeks and White opened fire . They have been placed on paid administrative leave while the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigates the case . They will send their findings to the Escambia County state 's attorney 's office , which will determine whether any charges will be filed against them . `` There was nothing glaringly apparent to us that the officers did that was out of the ordinary in the given set of circumstances as have been given to us , '' Morgan said in an interview with CNN . But Middleton says the deputies were not doing their job . `` They should have asked me , did I live here ? Ran my address or license plate or something , '' he said . When asked to respond to Middleton 's comment , Morgan said , `` How long has Mr. Middleton been a law enforcement officer ? It 's a car burglary in progress . You do n't roll up behind the car , expose yourself or your partner and wait for the tag to come back . The officers get out of the car ... respond to the suspect . At this time Mr. Middleton was a suspect at that time . '' Middleton is beginning the legal process to pursue a civil suit against the sheriff 's office for excessive force . He 's represented by Lorenzo Williams . `` Roy has been permanently injured . No question about it , '' Williams said . `` If we can not resolve it through peaceful negotiation , then we have no other choice but to let the court of law evaluate their conduct . '' But even Middleton is unsure what restitution would be sufficient or if an apology would suffice . `` I do n't know what you call enough , '' he said . `` If it would make me walk again , yeah . ''
`` I ask myself why they shot me first , '' Roy Middleton tells CNN in an exclusive interview . Middleton , 60 , is still angry about being shot by Escambia County sheriff 's officers . He says he was unarmed and that the deputies were justified when they fired at him because of his race. The deputies are on leave ; Middleton is preparing a civil lawsuit , his lawyer says .