When Brandon Dufault came home from his shift at Home Depot on Oct. 12, he didn't expect to come face-to-face with a shooter.
"It's almost like being in a scary movie, where you see a picture of somebody and you can see the face, but everything else is blacked out," he told NBC4.
Brandon is one of only two survivors in a shooting rampage that left two others dead in Aliso Viejo last fall. He was showering when he heard shots fired in his home. Then, the gunman came for him.
"I heard him kick open the door and as soon as I heard that, I looked up ... and within seconds he shot."
Shards of glass flew into his eyes. The bullet lodged itself in the back of his throat. Confused, Brandon screamed for help.
"I started screaming for help, I started screaming for Doug, started screaming for Lisa."
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
What he didn't know is that his roommates, Doug Ferguson and Lisa Cosenza, were already shot dead.
Brandon, unable to see clearly, felt his way through his home as he tried to get help. That's when he found his roommates.
"I felt a foot hit my foot, so then I went to my knees to feel and I could feel Doug's boot and sock and everything. That's when I realized that he was dead."
Brandon made his way outside, where law enforcement was on scene.
Brandon's childhood friend Luke William Ferguson is suspected of shooting Default and killing his roommates, Doug Ferguson and Lisa Cosenza. Doug is the suspect's father.
Luke Ferguson is charged with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. He faces life in prison if he's convicted of all the charges against him. The pre-trial hearing begins in March.
Brandon's mother Michele Dufault said she is still shocked her best friend's son went on a shooting spree.
"I'd like to one day confront him and see if he has anything to say. Why?"
For now, Brandon wants to get his life back on track.
"I still want to be able to make my parents proud, you know? I got done what I can to this point, but there's still a lot more I can do, that I want to do, and I want to try as hard as I can but I just don't know what's going to happen."
He now lives with his parents in Big Bear while he continues to recover and receive medical care.
If you would like to donate to a GoFundMe account set up for Brandon Dufault, you may do so here. Note that GoFundMe deducts 2.9 percent of all funds raised, plus 30 cents per donation, in the form of payment processing charges.
