Rancho Santa Fe

A gardener who was attacked by an unknown assailant Monday is expected to survive despite being shot three times in the back, a hospital spokeswoman said Tuesday.

The victim, Jose Nava Hernandez, 27, was tending the lawn near the driveway of a home in the 17400 block of Luna de Miel when he was ambushed by someone shortly before 3:30 p.m., a Sheriff’s Department spokesman said.

Hernandez, a San Marcos resident, was taken to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla and rushed into surgery. He suffered two gunshot wounds to the lower back, one of which went through his abdomen, said hospital spokeswoman Lynn Morra. A third bullet lodged in his chest, Morra said. Hernandez was listed in fair condition Tuesday and is expected to recover, she said.