a day ago
Florida man credits faith after cross pendant saves him from point-blank gunshot
A 20-year-old Florida man shot point-blank in the chest while visiting a friend's apartment says he lived to tell the tale thanks to his faith — and a gold cross pendant.
The necklace shattered when struck by the bullet, and medics believe it may have even split the projectile, sparing his organs from what could have been a fatal shot.
"I feel like [my faith] definitely grew stronger," Aidan Perry said Tuesday, reflecting on the miracle on "Fox & Friends First."
"That's what I wore the cross for – to represent my faith in Christ."
Perry was visiting a friend's apartment to watch a UFC fight when the incident happened. The deflected bullet entered through his chest and exited near his armpit before reentering his arm and breaking his humerus.
Dr. Dana Taylor, a surgeon at Florida's HCA Florida Ocala Hospital where Perry was treated, told Fox News that, without the pendant, the bullet would have likely entered Perry's chest and dealt a "devastating injury" to his heart, resulting in a "different outcome."
"This is a very unique situation and, in trauma, we know that each trauma case can be very unique," she said.
"When I looked down at his chest and was evaluating him, and I saw the cross and the way that bullet scored it, and it deflected [the bullet] across his chest and into his arm, I knew then that, yes, that cross did definitely change the course of his life."
The gold cross that spared Perry's life — which he wore as a daily reminder of his faith since last Christmas — is now broken, and he remains undecided whether to repair it or replace it.
But he is certain of one thing: "I do believe in miracles," he said.
The man who allegedly shot Perry unintentionally was arrested in Sumter County.
He was charged with culpable negligence causing injury, according to Village-News.
