Family's agony as nursing student's life hangs in the balance a week after her date night ended in tragedy when she was shot by road rage driver

By EMMA RICHTER, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 17:51, 10 May 2026 | Updated: 17:59, 10 May 2026 A Missouri family has been rocked by an unimaginable tragedy after a beloved nursing student was shot in the head by a road rage driver.  JayLee Gross, 19, was enjoying a date night on May 3 with her boyfriend, Damon Culter, in Kansas City when they got a call to help a friend who was stranded with a flat tire.  After helping the friend fix it, the couple headed back to their home in Leavenworth, but were met with an angry driver along the way.  While merging onto US 71, a speeding vehicle in the right lane swerved around the couple's car, forcing them to slam on their brakes, Bradley Gross, JayLee's father, told The Kansas City Star.  Culter, who was driving their car, then switched lanes in an attempt to get away from the irate driver, but they continued to follow the pair, continuing to hit their brakes,  Bradley recalled to the outlet.  Culter then hopped back into the slow lane, and as he did so, JayLee flipped off the other driver, Bradley added.  The unidentified road rage driver then exited onto a nearby street, took out a gun, and fired five to seven shots at JayLee and Culter's car. JayLee was struck in the head by a bullet and has been fighting for her life ever since, while the alleged shooter remains on the run, her heartbroken father said.  JayLee Gross, 19, was enjoying a date night on May 3 with her boyfriend, Damon Culter, when things took a dark turn  After helping a friend fix their flat tire, the couple (pictured together) drove toward their home, but on the way, they were met with an enraged driver  'We’re not doing ok, and we can’t act like we are. Because, you know, no parent should ever have to experience this,' he told The Star, adding that JayLee is suffering from brain swelling and is using a breathing tube.  Her mother, Manda Gross, said Sunday that her daughter is still fighting for her life.  'Keep fighting... we love you,' Manda wrote on Facebook.  Her mother also shared a colorful graphic that showed JayLee surrounded by inspiring words and symbols related to her nursing career.   She is currently studying nursing at St. Mary's University while working full-time as a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) at a nursing home, The Star reported.  JayLee is also on her school's bowling team and completed several college-level courses by the time she was 17, her father told the publication.  'My daughter is truly somebody that spent the last four years of her life giving,' Bradley added.  Culter has also shared thoughtful posts on social media, including one that read: 'You're the strongest most beautiful woman I know in this whole universe... I love you so damn much you got this baby.'  After being cut off by the angry driver multiple times, Culter moved their vehicle into another lane. As he did so, JayLee flipped off the other driver, her father, Bradley Gross, said Her mother also shared a colorful graphic that showed JayLee surrounded by inspiring words and symbols related to her nursing career While her family remains hopeful that JayLee will recover from her traumatic injury, police said they have launched an aggravated assault investigation into the violent incident.  Officers responded around 12.30am on Monday to Truman Medical Center, University Health, after being informed that a shooting victim was being rushed there by a private car, Captain Jake Becchina with the Kansas City Missouri Police Department told The Star.  He noted that no one is in custody as of yet, but detectives are 'making headway,' the publication reported.  Bradley said he and his family have heard very little from authorities about what happened to his daughter, only telling him that they have 'some strong leads, but nothing is definite.'  Her mother, Manda Gross (pictured with JayLee), has also taken to Facebook to share that their beloved daughter is still fighting for her life The Daily Mail has contacted Becchina for comment.  After nearly a week of being by JayLee's side in the hospital, Bradley left on Saturday to take his other daughter to her softball practice, he said.  While still trying to wrap his head around what happened, Bradley shared a very simple and important message to the community.  'I think we all just need to slow down and realize how short life is. We’re always in a hurry. And where you’re going is never going anywhere,' he stated.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. 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