A University of Virginia student says one tiny, normally insignificant decision saved his life.
Tuesday night a bullet went into 4th year student Chris Lemos' Wertland Street apartment after shots were fired on Prospect Avenue. The bullet went through his bedroom window and through the same area where he had been planning to do some studying.
He would have been in the direct path of the bullet had he not decided to take a nap on the living room couch. Lemos says he was planning to do his homework at his desk in the bedroom, but was exhausted from a workout.
The bullet came through the bedroom window and passed through a nearby wall. He says he did hear a shattering noise, but thought it was a plate that had fallen.
"We thought something might have gotten thrown through and then I see this bullet hole in the wall. I start looking around and it went through, so I start looking on the other room and after looking around for a little bit, there's a bullet on the ground," he said.
Police say the bullet came from shots fired in the 700 block of Prospect Avenue. It is estimated the bullet traveled between half a mile and three-quarters of a mile before landing in the 1200 block of Wertland Street.
Lieutenant Ronnie Roberts of the Charlottesville Police Department said, "The unfortunate aspect of it is this landed in someone's apartment. But we also have to remember it's summer time and a lot of children are out, schools are about to release here pretty soon and when you discharge a weapon, whether you shoot it in the air, that projectile is going to land somewhere."
The investigation regarding the incident on Prospect Avenue is still underway. Charlottesville police are asking anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers at 434-977-4000.
Discharging a firearm is a misdemeanor, but the person responsible for this act could face more serious charges.
Meanwhile Lemos was in very good spirits about the whole situation, saying that he does not fear for his safety.
