MO: Hunter Shoots Woman in Face From More Than Mile Away

November 9, 2009

Woman Hit In Face By Stray Hunting Bullet Shot Comes From More Than Mile Away

CASS COUNTY, Mo. -- A woman driving in rural Cass County was randomly struck in the face by a bullet from a hunter more than a mile away.

Lisa Long said she is grateful to be alive after the unexpected jolt of being shot in the face on a quiet rural road.

"The bullet went through the cheek, all the way through, came in between my gum and knocked some teeth," Long said.

Long said she was driving alone down 307th Street towards 71 Highway in Cass County. The shot caused Long to get six stitches to close a gaping hole caused by a stray bullet.

"I reached up and felt the blood and I went, 'Wow, I need to go to the hospital," Long said.

After just leaving her aunt's house, Long said she felt a massive force turn her head.

Long said she called her mother, who took her to the hospital.

Long said she did her best not to look at her wounds shortly after the shooting.

"I didn't want to see myself or anything, I figured there was enough blood,"
Long said. "It was best I didn't see it."

The conditions for the shooting had to be perfect. Long's window was rolled down just enough and the bullet went through the open window to hit her in the cheek.

Long said she was driving down the road at 60 mph and at first didn't realize she had been shot.

"I thought a rock had been kicked up from a tire, I couldn't figure out what it was," Long said.

Lisa's husband said he is grateful his wife survived, for the sake of their two sons, who are both autistic. The truth of how close she came to dying became a reality when a relative found the bullet in her car. Police confirmed it came from a hunting rifle, shot from more than a mile away.

"It's just unbelievable how your life can change in a flash," Long said.
"I've been given a gift -- wow, I'm alive and I'm here."

Long said she might never figure out who fired the bullet that hit her, but she hopes her story will help people realize the dangers of firing a gun.

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