Shot At Work, Still Standing; A Tow Driver’s Story

A routine repo in a tight Milwaukee alley turned into a life-or-death sprint when Alfredo heard the first gunshot. What followed was a test of instinct, training, and grit: dropping the hook, flooring the truck, calling for help, and surviving a round that tore through his abdomen and missed his spine by a breath. We invited Alfredo to walk us through the moment, the messy aftermath, and the hard-won lessons every tow and recovery pro should carry into the field.

We dig into the details that matter: how complacency sneaks in when you know a city too well, why situational awareness must be a daily discipline, and the small choices that stack up to big outcomes—lighting, angles, spotter coordination, and when to back off. Alfredo is open about fear and focus in those critical seconds, the hospital fight to recover, and the quiet gratitude that followed. He also shares how his company rallied: daily check-ins, a GoFundMe that bridged the gap, and a thoughtful pivot from repossessions to transport while he heals.

There’s more beneath the headline. Detectives quickly linked the suspects—one already tied to another shooting—and recovered the minivan that set the scene. We talk about public misconceptions around repossessions, the pressure operators face when emotions run hot, and the responsibility we all share on the road. For leaders, this is a blueprint for culture: invest in training, mental health support, and flexible roles that keep people safe and employed. For operators, it’s a checklist to reset your routine and keep your head on a swivel. For listeners, it’s a reminder that the person behind the wheel is doing a job most won’t and deserves space and respect.

If this story resonates, share it with someone in the industry, leave a review to help others find the show, and subscribe so you never miss the conversations that help keep our community safer and stronger.

Transcript

Welcome And Guest Intro

SPEAKER_05 0:07

Well, good evening, one and all. Darren Weaver with Toe Professional on the Go podcast. This is for the pros that are on the go that have the need to know. And as you know, Toe Professional Podcast is number one in the industry, reaching a little over 23,000 listeners. And that's thanks to you men and women out there that uh loyally listen to us. So today we got a great one for you. Um, today I've got Alfredo Martin on uh with nationwide recovery, uh, originally founded in uh round lake, Illinois. Uh now they have uh have uh basically places, uh locations all over Wisconsin. And uh we're coming to you with a unique story. Uh well, not not too unique in this industry, but a a uh driver out there trying to do their job, working for their family, and uh then getting uh uh hurt uh terribly in the in the line of work. Uh something you you don't expect when you're just out there working for your family and trying to bring home ends me. Uh but again, uh Alfredo, so happy to have you here, sir. It's still welcome for Scott. Thank you. I appreciate it. Thank you for having me. You're welcome. You're welcome. Well t well tell me uh first off, I want to get just a a little bit, tell me a little bit about your background in the towing industry.

SPEAKER_03 1:25

So I've been uh I towing, I'd say about like four and a half years now. Um when I first started towing, um, I actually worked for a competitor company um just doing yard stuff, and then I wanted to get into the truck, so I actually started doing city towing um for Milwaukee. Uh so towing like citation towing, all the police calls, accidents, um, evidence towes and stuff like that. Did that for about two and a half years, three years on and off. Um, and then Barry actually, well I have a I had a friend from a different, like I said, a different company that reached out to me saying that they had a job opportunity here, and I was kind of like iffy because I didn't I've never worked commission before. I've always been hourly, so I didn't want to like give up like you know a guaranteed income. So I told him I'd think about it. But uh Barry, the owner of our company, was really adamant about bringing me over here. Um he wanted me over here, so he kept blowing me up, reaching out, so I finally just gave it a chance, and I've been here this is I think I'm a little over a year and a half now that I've been with this company.

SPEAKER_05 2:26

So fantastic. That's awesome. So tell tell our listeners a little bit of the background of what happened.

Aftermath And Arrests

SPEAKER_03 2:34

Uh about the yeah, so um it was December 29th. Um, it was a short week because uh obviously of the holidays we don't repossess on the holidays. Um I had just just started, I think I was like two hours into my shift. Um my spotter found a car, posted it in our chat. Um I actually had to pick up two other cars, and this was the fourth car for the night. So um it was located in a pretty bad, sketchy area of the city, but I wasn't, you know, I've been working in Milwaukee forever, so I wasn't too worried about it. Um so I ended up uh going into the alley. Um usually my spotter cars bin the vehicles. Uh this was one specific one he didn't vin. Um maybe it's just he was just kind of rolling through. Um so uh he told me he was like, I can meet you back there if you want. I was like, no, it's fine, don't worry about it. I'll just vi I'll just hook up to it in a minute. So see the vehicle in the alley, made sure the order was open. Um I end up have to, it was a really tight alley, so it was a T alley, so I ended up having to back up. So I turn all my lights off, I back up, I hook the car, I get out, um, you know, walk over my boom, have the I'm on my phone, so a couple mistakes. I should have been paying a little more attention. Um, I did at the time when I was walking up, there was a window facing the vehicle, and um I did see that there was movement in the window. Um, instead of you know thinking about it too much, I kind of just like whatever, they're gonna come out, yell at me like they always do. I proceed to go down and I start binning it, and as I like get through halfway of the bin, that's where the first gunshot goes off. And at this point, I don't know where it's coming from because the way that the alley was like there's so many houses, you know, in Milwaukee, everything's packed so tight. So when I heard the gunshot, it kind of echoed behind me, but I immediately just ran back to my truck, and then I heard two more or I heard two more shots. The third one, that's when it hit me, and I could feel um, I don't know how to explain, but it just felt like an immense amount of pressure hit me. I fell down. Um, and I'm on the phone, so I had my AirPods and I was on the phone with my spotter car, two of my spotter cars, um, and Jimmy. He's uh Jimmy's my main spotter car, and also like my really good friend. So um he actually heard everything going on, and I start yelling out I got shot. Um, I end up jumping over my boom, like attempting to get myself up, and that's when I heard like the seven, eight more shots, and they were like hitting like there were a couple were hitting the vehicle, and the other ones were hitting like right next to me on the ground. I get over, like I said, I got over the boom. Um, I'm screaming to Jimmy for help, and he like he has my location, so he was already on his way to me. I jump in the truck, um, I immediately floor it, lower my boom, like you drop the car off the truck, and then I I peel out of there. Um at that point, I hang up the phone um with Jimmy as because I he's already heading to me, and I call 911 and you know, telling them what's going on and where I'm at. But I got to the point where I couldn't even keep driving because I didn't even know where I was hit at the I just remember having like a really bad stomach ache. So I like pulled on to oncoming traffic, threw all my beacon lights on, and just got out. Um and I could still see, so when I turned around, I could see the house, and everybody in the house ran out and jumped into a different vehicle and like started going out northbound on the street. And I told the the police, I'm on the phone with the police. I thought they were gonna come back around. So I immediately just got I got out of my truck because I didn't want to just be sitting there. Um, they ended up fleeing. Um, and the police pulled up two minutes later. Um and at that point I had collapsed, and you know, the police put a chest seal on my back and um they cut my shirt open and I realized I had gotten shot. So um it missed my spine by a centimeter, it directed inward and then came back out this way, and it lodged it like right in like the middle of my stomach. Um, so it ended up yeah, it hit the fourth vertebrae, my fourth lower vertebrae, um, tore through muscle, it hit my stomach and my appendix. So the final surgery is uh well, obviously they had to cut me open. They did, they were able to remove the bullet, and uh it damaged, so I had lost 10% of my small intestines, my appendix are gone. Um they had some like obviously muscle and everything, and other than that, um I'm fine. I'm pretty much back to full mobility now at this point. So it's been just two months. All this over a I've just taken a used car. Yeah, older. Yeah, it was yeah, over a 2018 uh Grand Caravan that mind you, and this was uh later, I found out later. So uh the vehicle didn't even belong to the two, so there was two two people involved in the shooting. There was one shooter, um, and the vehicle belonged to what I'm gonna assume it was their parents, because uh the order was under like a lady that we ended up looking her up, and she they actually arrested the older couple the next morning because after after that happened, that everybody left. And my other senior driver, Jason, he actually found an address on RDN um and a scan for it, maybe like 15 minutes north of the city, and he went there and it was sitting there. Um, like an hour and a half after that. I was I was already at the hospital. So he ended up going up there in his truck, calling the police, and they put a detective on that house. They followed that vehicle back to the house of the shooting the morning, got the couple, and then they gave up the people right away. They never to they haven't they never told me like what the connection was to them, but I'm gonna assume the because the shooter was 24 years old, I'm gonna assume it was their his parents. Um is that is that person uh going to jail over this or yep, so they have both of them in custody actually, uh, which is crazy. So the the the guy that actually shot me, um he's 24 years old, they got him, and then there was another guy, which I don't know his connection to the shooter. Uh that man was already on a bond for another shooting, was involved in my shooting four days later. After my shooting, he shot somebody else on a Milwaukee freeway while driving. And they actually arrested him for the third for hit the shoot when he shot the guy and then connected him to mine.

SPEAKER_05 8:23

Unbelievable. Well, Alfredo, I I tell you, you're absolutely lucky to be here with us. It's uh I I don't think of any, of course, I I say that, but I don't think anything's of luck. I say uh it's God's hand that was in that to get well well. Let me ask you this. Did you ever think uh when getting into this job that you'd be involved in something like this?

Break And Industry Advocacy

SPEAKER_03 8:47

Um, no, honestly, I didn't think I would ever get seriously injured. Like I've heard I've heard of it happening. Um so Jason, my senior driver, he's actually the one that taught me how to do anything with a cell floater when I was we both worked at the different company together. Um I remember one of the things that he told me when I came over here because I this was the first time I've actually like full-time like repossessed in Milwaukee. And obviously, people out there don't know Milwaukee's a pretty rough area. Um so I was kind of you know, I was skittish and I would, you know, be a little I would second guess myself a lot, but I worked with Jason at night, and he'd just tell me he's like, you know, he'd give me confidence. And the one thing that he told me that kind of stuck with me is like, if they're gonna come out and shoot you, you're not even gonna know, you know, because I I've had two different situations where I've had people pull a gun on me, and he just told me they're just gonna scare you, you know, they're trying to, you know, intimidate you, this and that. We obviously leave the car, but if they're gonna shoot you, you're not even gonna know, and that's exactly what happened. Um, I had no idea that there was no words exchanged, they just came out shooting. Um, but no, I uh I knew there was gonna be you know issues, you know, in the job line, but not not that serious.

SPEAKER_05 9:59

Yeah, you thought maybe you'd get chewed out, somebody cuss you or swing at you, but not shoot you over it. Yeah, if you if you end up in prison over a 2018 caravan, you've made some wrong choices in life, I can tell you that. So I agree. Well, listeners, we're gonna do this. We're gonna take a quick break for our sponsors, and when we come back, we're gonna have more from Alfredo Martin of Nationwide Recovery out of uh Milwaukee, Wisconsin. We'll be right back. Thank you, listeners.

SPEAKER_04 11:00

We act as the voice of America's towing industry by offering representation, education, and leadership at the federal level. Much of our focus is on representing the interests of the towing and recovery industry on Capitol Hill, including promoting positive legislation and opposing potentially negative legislation. TRAA is the industry's watchdog on Capitol Hill. There are so many compelling reasons to be a TRAA member. Besides being the right thing to do, membership gives you exclusive member benefits worth thousands of dollars a year, including exclusive TRAA member discounts from our featured partners, such as Coastal Fuel Cards, TV Clever out, Tobook, Redmaster, Oz Alert, we buy Key Fobs, Auto Data Direct, complete compliant solutions, free advertising and our national membership directory and online directory, email updates, invitations to exclusion events and scholarship access. But best of all, you are pouring back into the industry to ensure we together make it stronger for generations to come. A special thank you to our partner, Gay Rochester of INA Toey, for her continued ongoing support service to TRAA and her commitment to safety for our industry with one over, lose none. Become a national association member today at TRAAonline.com.

Return From Break And Recap

Mindset In The Moment

SPEAKER_05 12:39

Listeners, you have been listening to Toe Professional on the Go podcast. As you know, now we're available on YouTube. So we can put this face for radio right there in front of you on YouTube. Make sure you check us out. Also, we're still available on podcasts. So anywhere you get your podcast, iHeartMedia, Stitcher, Spotify, you can find us again, Toe Professional on the Go podcast. And we're here talking again with Alfredo Martin of uh Nationwide Recovery. And let me tell you, unbelievable story. Um, you know, out there doing repossessions, and before he knows it, there's uh third, you know, 10 shots gone off uh at him while he's just trying to do his job. So um coming back to this, it's just unbelievable what our men and women of industry have to go up against just to do their job. And I don't think the public realize uh it has not it's just like the server bringing your food at the restaurant, they didn't cook the steak you're mad about because it's not cooked well enough. You know, the guys picking up your cards, the men and women doing that, it's not their fault, just got to make your payment. It's it's very simple in this life. So uh let me ask you this, Alfredo. After after this happens, uh well, let me ask you, let's let's back up to when when this went down. What were the first thoughts that that came to your mind when when you heard the when uh you heard the first shot go off? I mean, it had to not even register that that was a pistol.

SPEAKER_03 14:09

Yeah. Um it as crazy as it sounds, um, obviously, you know, being in Milwaukee, you hear gunshots all the time, but uh it very much registered immediately. Um it didn't it didn't re it didn't I didn't understand if it was I didn't if like if the shooting was going on separate to me or if it they were actually shooting at me. All I knew was just to get out of there. Um my first thought for some reason, um in the simpler terms, it my my brain said the truck is safe. And um it's crazy because my boss, my manager, everybody that had seen the the video, they they were like, it's crazy that you immediately got into the truck and understood, you know, drop the car, get on the phone, leave. Like everything was very like every I did everything right, is what my is what Barry said. And um, I didn't understand what I did until after. Um, but the first thought were just to get out of there. Um just immediately try to get out of there, try to get some cover, um, and then I guess like assess the injury because I I knew I was hit. Um, I knew I didn't have much time because uh obviously I was I felt some sort of abdomen pain, so I I immediately just needed to stay calm, get a hold of the police, or the you know, I get an ambulance to me. Um and actually, so my best friend, um, she was uh actually texting me at the time, and she was the first I was on the phone, and my also my my first thought was was her and um letting her know that I got shot and you know I don't know what's gonna happen. Um and she actually uh what she's one of my biggest supporters, and she was actually the one that reached out to everybody and got everybody to the hospital and let everybody know what happened. Yeah, so the that I'd say that was the the first thing was just to get out of there.

SPEAKER_05 15:51

Exactly. Well, how how's it changed your your outlook on doing this job since since I happened?

SPEAKER_03 15:56

Um it I I would it it's like it's a give or take. I I don't obviously being in this job line, I'm not saying that you should expect something like that, but you you're clearly you know, you you should have your guard up. Um the only thing it really changed was um the I guess like my attitude towards it. You know, I I I know I I maybe I don't speak for everybody, but once you get good at something, you kind of build an ego. You you have a daily routine. Um, and that's my problem. Um, you know, once I got good at it, I'm like, okay, like I've I've been in this city my whole life, like I'm not worried about it. I I know this area. Um I was too uh nonchalant about it. And not even just specifically on this repossession, on a lot of the other ones, other cars that I was grabbing. I'm just you know walking up, venting instead of you know being sneaky or you know, that that that's the only outlook it changes, you know, my attitude towards it. Um I I very much still have respect for the job, and I'm I'm going back, so I'm actually going back to work next week. It's my gonna be my first week back. Um, I'm not gonna be repossessing anymore. I'm gonna be just doing transport. Um that's you know, my personal I don't um I don't know if I want to get back into a truck, and obviously I got offered uh a pretty good deal that I couldn't pass up with the same company, obviously.

How The Job Outlook Changed

SPEAKER_05 17:12

Um I could see that as well, but also after being injured like that, it would be uh it would seem like uh that would be harder work to do after being injured. I mean, a vertebrae, that's one of those things that go with you for uh for years uh that you that you get pain out of. Uh man, I I tell you, that's it's something else. Well, have they have what you said you spoke a little bit about it earlier? Have the people of interest you said they were caught? Uh that's so that they did shot you.

SPEAKER_03 17:46

Yep, they caught both um the well the the main guy, the shooter uh that actually pulled the trigger. Yes, he's caught, and so is the other guy. Um, and then obviously the court's sending me everything uh paper.

SPEAKER_05 17:57

So that you can keep up with it and make sure that he stays in jail once he goes to jail. Yeah, yeah. Man, it is uh something else. Well, let's do this. Let's take another quick uh commercial break for our sponsors. We'll come right back and uh we'll uh we'll finish the interview with Alfredo Martin of uh Nationwide Recovery. We'll be right back, listeners.

SPEAKER_02 18:20

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Another Break And Sponsor Spots

SPEAKER_00 18:46

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SPEAKER_01 19:45

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Company Support And New Role

SPEAKER_05 20:46

All right, welcome back, listeners. You have been listening to Toe Professional on the Go podcast, and again, the number one podcast in industry, thanks to you. Also, the only publisher on podcasts. Make sure you check us out, towprofessional.com. You can find the publication, click digital editions, you find every issue we've printed over the last 15 years. Uh, we do this for you so that you know the latest uh information and can keep it up, keep it out of the red and back in the black. We're back here with Alfredo Martin of Nationwide Recovery. And uh just like we're talking about how dangerous this job can be when it comes to uh uh repossession, and uh Alfredo was talking about the key to when you're doing this situational awareness. And uh just like he was saying, it is like anything whether you're driving a fast car, uh whether you're batting, whatever, anything that you do, we can get so good at it that we let our guard down some and just think, hey, I've got this. And we just go through muscle movement. But uh without keeping our head on the swivel, we can always uh we can always end up in a bad spot. I used to uh when I was much, much younger. Afraid of I used to ride motocross some and uh I I got the same thing. I got to where I was cocky. Boy, nobody could ride like me. And next thing I knew, the the motorcycle was riding me more than I was riding it. So uh I quickly realized, hey, let's move on to cars, get rid of the motorcycle. So I had uh as you say, too much ego and uh it bit me. Um right, but coming back to this, I I did want to ask um with with nationwide recovery, how is how has the company supported you through this? Because I remember you telling me just bragging on those guys.

SPEAKER_03 22:31

Yeah, oh man, uh by far the one of the best companies I've ever worked for. Uh the support it it's it was overwhelming. You know, I um when I woke up in the hospital, and for one, like I said, I didn't know the depths of it. Uh obviously, like you know, workers comp and this and that. But my you know, my boss was sending my coworkers to make sure I had, you know, they got me sweatpants, you know, clothes, they were getting me food, they were they were sending co-workers every day. I mean, they were coming to visit anyway, but you know, um Barry definitely took care of me. Um then the go they set the GoFundMe up for me, obviously. Um, and you know, all of the the time off that I've had, I'm I'm getting checked on even now, like daily, you know, someone's calling me like, hey, you need anything? I know you're at home, and uh very much uh supported, I should say. You know, that's that's the best way I could put it. I do they've done everything for me, uh made this process very easy and like comforting. Um and obviously coming back, uh you know, the position that I was offered, which was relieving. I wasn't even it was kind of a both of an idea, but I'm kind of glad that he offered me uh you know a more gravy position and not having to get back into a repo truck. So, you know, because he understands the depths of it and he just wants me happy over here.

Life Lessons And Gratitude

SPEAKER_05 23:43

So and what was the owner's full name again? What was that? What was the owner's full name again? Oh, Barry, Barry Gibbrick. Gibbrick? Yep. Well, Barry Gibbrick, we certainly salute you, sir. Um, but I I tell you, it comes a lot of owners these days. Not uh you you see some like uh Barry that know the value of an employee, they know the value and what it takes to get a good loyal employee to the company. And when they got one like yourself, they know, hey, I'm not cutting this loose. We'll find you another spot. We're keeping you. So uh I certainly get it. I certainly get it. Well, let me ask you this, Alfredo. What what did you take away from the the situation that happened here in the end?

SPEAKER_03 24:25

Uh that uh life is uh precious. That's that was the the biggest thing I took away from it. Um I've been and I'm just like you said, I I'm kind of a luck guy, but it it just taking away that the fact that I'm still here, uh I'm able to go back to work, I'm able to talk to my friends again. Um I definitely took life for granted for the 20, 28, eight, twenty-nine years I've been on this earth. And um, it really just came down to a situation like that where um, you know, I I could have very much not woke up and hearing everything, you know, that played out after that, the amount of time I had to get to the hospital and the the location where I, you know, everything was so perfect that, like you said, I don't believe that it was a a coincidence. I very much believe somebody was out there and there's obviously another plan for me. So that's that's what I took away from it. That you know, don't don't take life for granted. Don't ever let your guard down. And you know.

GoFundMe, Prayer, And Closing

SPEAKER_05 25:21

Well, I get it, brother. I I I tell you, 10 years ago, before I uh we had a trade show we were doing in Orange Beach, it was called the Southern Tow Expo. And uh before that weekend, I took things a little for granted. Um, I had a car, I like racing a little bit on the side, and uh went out one night with some friends, and that car hung and left at 1 30, lost traction, and I hit a mountain. And uh when I walked away from was able to walk away from it, and I knew uh it was God's hand in it. It was also him saying, No anymore, you can't play anymore, you got to pay attention. And uh that thing was what really made me think about it, the choices I was making. And uh now when when I go and want to play, I have to take it to the track. And of course, the wife reminds me too, you got to go to the track. Um so so I certainly get it, it can certainly change the thought process, man. Well, we're we are certainly uh so glad that you're here with us today and that you've made it through this. And um also uh listeners, at the end of this video, we're gonna have a um where you can go ahead and help out Alfredo. We'll have a GoFundMe tag here uh to help him through this difficult process transitioning from from being injured here on the job, shot doing his rep repossession, just doing his work. And uh now he's working back to getting back to work uh by the time this video comes out. He'll be back in the uh seat and back uh working again uh with everyone at Nationwide Recovery. Uh uh well, as always, I'll I'd like to end this with a prayer. And uh, dear Heavenly Father, I just uh thank you for every one of our vendors in the industry. I ask that you again bless them with knowledge, bless them with prosperity, and help them bring products to the market that keeps our uh our tow professionals safe out there. And dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for every one of our uh industry professionals, our men and women of towing uh that go out there on a daily basis uh to make sure others' families are taken care of and are able to get home safe. Lord, I ask that you bless their families, you bless their homes, uh, you bless their bank accounts, their mind, their spirit, there, and uh help them uh as they go out there and bring them home safe every time. We ask this in your precious name, Jesus Christ. Amen. Well, Alfredo, uh, we appreciate so much you coming on to Tok Professional Podcast. Uh, we certainly pray uh pray blessings over your life. We uh it's so awesome to uh for me to be able to uh meet with the uh with the industry experts out here, man, with men and women that are that are doing the job. I'm a publisher and I'm blessed to be able to do this, but uh man, I got to give it to you on the side. I've done done stuff. I've I've towed different vehicles for you know race cars and things like that. And uh I've watched what the men and women of towing do, and and I can tell you, it's not an easy job, and it's one that's done uh out of a servant's heart. Uh everybody I've seen in it, it's like a family. Um, so again, Barry, we appreciate your compassion for Alfredo and and what you've done to help him along. And uh Alfredo, we're so glad you're still with us, and uh, we wish you nothing but blessings and success going forward, sir. Thank you for you as well. I really appreciate you having me on here. Oh, you're certainly welcome. Well, listeners, until next time, this has been Toe Professional on the Go podcast. Keep listening. We appreciate you making us number one in industry, and we'll keep bringing you great industry information, latest products and services, thanks to help you stay on the road, out of the red, and back in the black. Thanks again, and God bless until much.