Ohio Club chef loses leg in shooting, seeks financial assistance in recovery

Corey Coleman

Ohio Club Chef Corey Coleman, 39, was shot six times in his home at 119 Etta St. on Nov. 27, 2022. After flatlining in an ambulance, receiving nine bags of blood and having his right leg amputated, Coleman is recovering at home with his mother.

The financial woes from the shooting have left him at "rock bottom." Unable to work for at least six more months and waiting on relief from disability benefits, a GoFundMe has been set up to support Coleman. At the time of publication, $980 of the $5,000 goal has been reached. Click here to donate.

"It tore me down to ground zero," Coleman said. "It brought me all the way back down to the bottom. I had to sell my truck that I couldn't pay for, I had to return a lot of things that basically I can't pay for, and it's a real strain on me.

"I'm just putting it in God's hands, and God will take care of it. ... I don't really have anything else left."

But despite the "life-changing" event, Coleman sounds optimistic and is already talking about his plan to return to working as a chef.

"I can't just sit back and say 'Oh, I'm missing a leg now,'" he said. "I can't stop my life and I have to keep moving forward."

Coleman is a generational chef who has been working in restaurants across Europe, Chicago and Hot Springs over the past 23 years. For two years he and his father, Diablo Coleman, ran Coleman's BBQ & More on W. Grand Ave., and his grandfather, Dardear Coleman, was one of the first chefs at historic local treasure Coy's Steakhouse. Coleman's father was also well-known around the community as a custodian for Lakeside Schools for 37 years and an involved volunteer at the local Boys & Girls Club for more than 30 years.

What happened that night?

The Garland County Sheriff's Department currently has an investigation open and is unable to disclose any information on the shooting at this time.

Coleman said he knew the shooter and that he fled after shots were fired. No one has been taken into custody at this time. The following is Coleman's take on the night of Nov. 27.

"I came home and walked into the house and walked into the bedroom and as soon as I walked into the bedroom I looked up, and all I saw was gunfire," Coleman said. "And I put my hand up to protect my face, and it hit my hand, so I threw my body to the right, and I caught two bullets in my stomach. And I fell and caught one in my leg, and two more in my other leg.

"When it hit my right leg ... it hit my main artery and shattered half of my femur and caused me to bleed a lot, and I lost a lot of blood. And when I got to the paramedic and finally got it cut off, I had lost too much blood and flatlined.

"They had to bring me back, and I had to get — what was it — nine bags of blood. And I just had to get another bag because I was losing blood for some reason because I had got sick after I got out of the hospital. So it's been a rocky road."