A Harlingen security guard shot during a struggle with an armed man is speaking publicly for the first time about the night he said he nearly lost his life.

The Cameron County Sheriff's Office identified the suspected shooter as Thomas Matthew Puente. Investigators say Puente returned to the VIP Gentleman's Club, located at 14225 Expressway 83, on May 2 armed with a shotgun after being removed from the club earlier that night.

Authorities say security guard Rogelio Lopez confronted Puente, leading to a physical struggle where Lopez was shot in the leg. Puente then fired another round inside the club.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man shoots security guard at Harlingen gentleman’s club

"As soon as he had seen me, he had taken the weapon out and pretty much loaded the shotgun and pointed it at my face. At that point, we struggled. We fought for the weapon," Lopez said.

Lopez says the shotgun blast shattered his femur.

"Because of that it actually snapped my femur, and I don't know how I did it, but I was still up and fighting with him," Lopez said.

He kept fighting until others rushed in to help. Once the threat was over, Lopez says his focus shifted to surviving.

"I'm looking at my leg and I see that I have an open wound, a shotgun wound," Lopez said.

Lopez says he reached for a tourniquet he had carried with him every day at work.

"A friend of mine passed me a tourniquet three years ago that I would carry every single day with me at work," Lopez said.

He applied the tourniquet above his knee. When asked what would have happened without it, his answer was immediate.

"I wouldn't have made it. I wouldn't have made it," Lopez said.

Lopez underwent three surgeries and spent nearly three weeks in the hospital. He is now in physical therapy while dealing with nerve pain.

He says he hopes others can learn from what happened to him.

"It's very important because at the end of the day, you never know what's going to happen," Lopez said. "There are different ways you can learn how to use the tourniquet, whether it's training school or, if you look online, there are different videos on YouTube."

"Learn how to stop the bleed because you can either save your life or you can save somebody else's," Lopez said.

The Cameron County Sheriff's Office tells Channel 5 News the investigation has been completed and submitted to the district attorney's office. Channel 5 News reached out to the district attorney's office for an update on the status of the case.

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