A man shot Tuesday in the parking lot of a Bluffton apartment complex is in stable condition, and police are still searching for suspects.

Sean Kirby, 34, was shot beneath the right armpit outside of the Hallmark White Oak Apartments on Haigler Boulevard at about 3:30 p.m. He then drove his work pickup truck to Nickelpumpers gas station in old town to call for help.

He was airlifted to Memorial University Medical Center in Savannah.

In an interview at the hospital Wednesday, Kirby told officers he was looking for a painting job at the apartment complex when several strangers approached his truck and attempted to rob him, Bluffton police Sgt. Joe Babkiewicz said.

"As of right now, that's all we have to go off of," Babkiewicz said, adding that investigators are chasing several leads.

Babkiewicz said apartment management told officers it had not hired Kirby as a painter. However, renters in the building could have hired their own painters, Babkiewicz said.

A manager at the apartment complex declined comment.

The pickup truck the wounded man drove to Nickelpumpers at the intersection of Bruin Road and S.C. 46 bore a logo that read Sean Kirby Painting.

Babkiewicz said that Kirby was seen speaking with people in the parking lot of the apartment complex, and people heard but did not see the shooting.

Follow reporter Allison Stice at twitter.com/lcblotter.

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