WESH-TVA woman in Florida who thought she’d been hit by an errant firecracker found out days later that she had actually been shot in the leg.
Heather Charlebois was eating at a café with her friends on July 4 when she felt a sting in her leg, but it wasn’t until she visited the doctors days later that she realised there was a .38-caliber bullet lodged about 4cm into her thigh.
After the initial pain, she and her boyfriend cleaned up her wound in the restaurant’s bathroom, but because there was no blood, they assumed Charlebois had simply been burnt by a firecracker.
WESH-TVSpeaking to WESH-TV, she said:
My first thought was somebody hit me, slapped me open handed really hard on my leg and pinched me, but it did not make any sense because I didn’t see anyone.
Police say there were no reports of gunfire but believe the bullet might have been fired into the air from some distance away during Independence Day celebrations.
In the meantime, doctors say the bullet is too close to a major artery in Charlebois’ leg, so they’re leaving it in there for the time being.
She added:
I feel very fortunate. I have four kids and we have been through a lot.
