Speaking to KABC, Echols said she looked through her car window as the pair were driving back home around 2 a.m. and saw a man holding a gun.

“It happened all so fast,” Echols told KABC. “Carl hit the gas. I hear a shot and then we hit head-on another vehicle. Immediately open the door and we start yelling for help. I look over and Carl is slumped. There’s blood everywhere. All over my phone and he’s not responding.”

According to Echols, the two men who carried out the attack were in a vehicle directly behind the couple on the off-ramp. After the two men got out of the car, one of them approached the passenger side and tried to open the couple’s car door, but it was locked.

The other man, according to Echols, approached the driver side and fired a shot, hitting Flenoy as he tried to speed off.

Witnesses said the suspects then jumped into a four-door burgundy sedan and fled the scene. Police said no one is in custody at this point.

Authorities also said they didn’t get a license plate because some of the cameras in the area weren’t working.

“There was no reason for us to suspect that someone wanted to do this or follow us. I believe it was a random act of violence or mistaken identity ’cause I just can’t see any cause to why anyone would want to do this to Carl,” Echols said said.

Echols is now left with the couple’s 14-month-old daughter.

“It makes me scared. A little bit afraid to leave my home. Not even a little bit. You can’t do something as simple as go on a date or wait or exit a freeway,” the heartbroken mother told KABC. “I feel like a piece of me is gone. It hurts. Literally my protector. My best friend. It was to a point where we were finishing each other’s sentences.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the California Highway Patrol.