The life of a Colorado man was apparently saved when a bullet fired at his neck during an argument became lodged in his silver chain necklace.
A news release from the Commerce City police department included a photograph of the mangled, blood-stained necklace the man was wearing.
It gave few other details about the incident, but stated that a suspect was arrested at the scene and charged with attempted murder.
The police statement, posted to Facebook, said the man’s escape was “just incredible”.
“The .22 caliber bullet was fired during an argument and would have ended up in the victim’s neck had it not instead become lodged in the chain he was wearing,” it said.
“As a result he suffered only a puncture wound.”
The statement added that detectives believed the chunky necklace was only silver in color, not made of the precious metal, which might not have offered the same level of protection.
“We looked it up, and silver is soft,” it said. “So maybe think twice before you knock a knock-off.”
The victim’s condition was unknown on Sunday, NBC News reported. Commerce City is about 10 miles north of Denver.
Previous incidents in which metal objects save people from potentially fatal shootings occurred in 2017, when a metal plate in an Alabama man’s head protected him during an ambush; and in Philadelphia four years earlier when a ricochet bullet lodged in a store clerk’s belt buckle during an exchange of fire between persons outside.
As far back as 1916, the Guardian reported the story of a British soldier whose life was saved by a book in his breast pocket after a bullet fired by a German passed through a metal shaving mirror during a first world war assault on Montauban, France.
According to the soldier’s account, he killed his assailant with a bayonet and celebrated his lucky escape by showing off the broken mirror that fused with a small metal case he was also carrying.
