Colorado Man Saved From Near-Fatal Bullet Wound by Silver Necklace

A Colorado man’s life was saved from a potentially fatal gunshot wound after his faux-silver necklace deflected the bullet. The Commerce City Police Department confirmed the unbelievable tale in a Facebook post on Wednesday, posted alongside a photo of the bloodied, mangled chain.

"This silver chain—approximately ten millimeters in width—is likely the only reason the victim…is still alive," the department wrote.

The statement went on to explain that a “.22-caliber bullet was fired during an argument” between the victim and another man. In a miraculous stroke of luck, the bullet contacted the fake silver necklace the victim was wearing around his neck.

As a result, he suffered "only a puncture wound" where the necklace contacted his neck. The shell “would have ended up in the victim's neck had it not instead become lodged in the chain he was wearing.”

“We'd say he really dodged a bullet—but in reality, he LODGED a bullet,” Commerce police officers wrote in an attempt at humor. “Just incredible,” they added.

The assailant was arrested at the crime scene and is facing a charge of attempted murder.

In an even more puzzling twist, police say the victim likely wouldn’t have survived if the necklace he’d been wearing was cast of pure silver. Since silver is soft and flexible, it likely wouldn’t have deterred a bullet of any caliber. Officers are unsure exactly what material the victim’s life-saving jewelry was made of, though many commenters contended that it was stainless steel.

“It’s stainless, you can tell by the way it melted,” wrote Aaron Munoz on Facebook. “Looks like a plasma cutter pierced it.”

Regardless of the material, though, everyone agreed the unidentified victim was astonishingly lucky. “.22 is usually pretty soft lead,” wrote John Hilsmeyer. “They generally fire at 1050–1235 feet per second. Even soft silver would deform the round and flatten it…dude’s lucky!”