CLEVELAND, Ohio  – It was a life-or-death decision made by Cleveland police detectives in just a matter of minutes: wait for EMS to arrive or take matters into their own hands.

“That’s alright buddy, you alright? Keep talking to us.”

“Radio, find out where EMS is at, if they’re too far away, we’re gonna throw him in our car and go. We got chest wounds on front and rear. Stay awake, stay awake, stay awake.”

It happened on the night of January 9th as police were responding to a call of shots fired in the area of Bader Avenue.

While en route, they discover an unoccupied vehicle on State Road that matched the description of a vehicle believed to be fleeing the scene.

Minutes later, police body cameras showed the discovery of a young male lying on the front porch of a home with a gunshot wound to the chest.

“Where you shot at buddy?”

Officers can then be seen administering immediate first aid to the 19-year-old victim.

While being treated, he told detectives he was driving southbound on State Road when a gray Mitsubishi SUV pulled alongside him, then in front of him, causing him to come to an abrupt stop.

The victim says when the suspect’s vehicle began backing toward him, a male jumped out of the back seat and began firing. He jumped out of his car and ran, eventually collapsing.

The victim remains hospitalized at MetroHealth Medical Center, listed in fair condition. He told police he does not know the people who gunned him down.

Officers ultimately put the victim into the backseat of a squad car and took him to Metro, a move that probably saved his life.

“Get him in my car. We have an open backseat. Hang with us, almost there.”

As for the suspects, a driver and two passengers, they remain on the loose.