Iowa man, 79, credits recliner for saving life from bullet
A 79-year-old Des Moines man dodged a bullet – literally – thanks to his leather recliner.
The shooting happened Wednesday night at Southeast Fifth Street and Hartford Avenue when a gunman opened fire on a car before crashing into a pole.
"It's getting too ridiculous where you're not safe," said Larry Reynolds, who lives nearby.
Police received simultaneous reports of shots fired and found that a car had crashed while trying to get out of the area. Officers found bullet holes in the car and 10 shell casings in the street.
A stray bullet went through a window of a senior living apartment and hit the back of a leather recliner, where the 79-year-old man was sitting. Miraculously, he was not injured.
"He's sitting in his home where you expect to be safe," Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek said. "He's not bothering anybody, just watching television, and a bullet comes flying through his window and hits him."
Parizek said the bullet was slowed down by the chair, leaving just a welt on the man's back.
"You're 79 years old. You've made it this far in life, and some moron starts shooting off rounds in your neighborhood and one flies through your window," Parizek said.
The man declined an on-camera interview Thursday, but Reynolds said the incident makes him feel unsafe in the city.
"If you can't sit in your house and be comfortable, then it's ridiculous," Reynolds said.
Two people were in the car when it crashed. Police believe they were the intended targets of the shooter.
No arrests have been made as of Thursday evening.
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