SKIPPERS—The Greensville County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help to solve the shooting of both a war veteran and a Franklin woman on Jan. 20.

Cory Batts served and survived three stints in Iraq only to come home and be shot in the face.

Batts’ will probably spend his 26th birthday on Jan. 31 recovering from his injury. He has three children aged 8, 3 and 2.

Also shot was Lanica Fultz of Franklin. She was reportedly shot in the leg area as she turned to leave McDonald’s. Her condition is unknown. Two bullets struck the window at the fast-food restaurant.

Also on Monday a Franklin woman reported that her car had been shot up during the incident.

Batts was removed from life support on Monday but the bullet, which entered his cheek, is still lodged behind his ear. Doctors have not been able to remove the bullet due to the swelling.

He remains in critical, but stable condition at the Medical College of Virginia at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, where he was taken by helicopter after the shooting.

Batts’ mother, Bridgett Squire, is still in shock. Batts returned to Emporia-Greensville after seven years in the military at his mother’s request. Batts was having health problems so she asked him, his fianc\u00E9 and three children to return home, which they did only three weeks prior to the shooting.

Squire, after talking with her son, feels that Batts was shot because his Chrysler 300 looks like a Mercedes Benz and someone didn’t like the way he was driving.

The crowd at Dreams, a nightclub in Skippers, was dispersing when Batts drove through the parking lot.

He then went to Love’s Travel Plaza, which is only yards away from Dreams, to use the

restroom.

Batts didn’t realize it but three males followed him, said Squire. After Batts went inside Love’s the three men reportedly approached the passenger in Batts’ car and said they didn’t like the way he was driving, said Squire.

The passenger reportedly told the men they didn’t want any trouble.

When Batts reached his vehicle shots rang out. Batts got into the car saying that he had been shot. Batts sped out of the parking lot en route to Southern Virginia Regional Medical Center but had to pull over and let the passenger drive.

Squire, who works for the Department of Corrections, said she has received several calls from people wanting to give her information.

&uot;I want to find out who did this,&uot; she said. &uot;I just can’t believe he survived missile attacks only to be shot when he came home.

Batts told the sheriff’s office that he returned fire after being shot. The sheriff’s department recovered his gun.

The sheriff is still looking for anyone with information about the 3 a.m. shooting.

The &uot;drive-by&uot; happened in the McDonald’s parking lot at Love’s Truck Stop off Exit 4 near the North Carolina border.

The sheriff’s office knows they are looking for at least two shooters, probably from Franklin.