An iPhone 5c has become the unlikely hero that saved a man's life after being shot by a local gang member in Cheshire County in the UK.
The 25-year-old Daniel Kennedy of Widnes survived multiple gunshots fired at his chest by Ryan Duggan, 19, thanks to the green iPhone 5c with the polycarbonate shell fans of "premium-looking" devices look down on.
The incident took place on Oct. 15, 2014, when Kennedy was returning to his home at the St. Michael's View neighborhood after taking his dog for a walk. Upon reaching his flat, Kennedy found that the water supply to the neighborhood was cut off by Duggan and his gang, so Kennedy went outside to speak to the youngsters about their prank.
The confrontation ended up in a verbal altercation and a chase, with Kennedy going after the teenager down a footpath. Upon reaching the back of the building where Kennedy lived, Duggan turned around, pulled out a sawn-off shotgun and shot Kennedy multiple times from five feet away.
Kennedy sustained wounds in his abdomen but his chest, which Duggan fired at multiple times, was protected by his iPhone 5c. Although the man was wounded, he was able to make it back to his house to call for help.
"Duggan's actions that night were extreme and shocking—the victim went outside to speak to the group about the fact that they had turned off the water supply resulting in the defendant shooting him with a powerful weapon," detective inspector Gary McIntyre of the Cheshire County Police said. "Fortunately, the victim's mobile phone took the brunt of the shot and, as a result of this, he survived. This is remarkable—had that phone not been in his pocket at that time he would undoubtedly have died."
The police found the shotgun Duggan used wrapped in clingfilm, with the spent cartridge still inside, and hidden under a bush in the area where the incident happened. They found Duggan hiding inside the residence of Jordan Grimes, a friend of Duggan.
Duggan is found guilty of attempted murder after a three-day trial at the Chester Crown Court. He is scheduled to be sentenced on July 10. Grimes has pleaded guilty to being an accomplice to Duggan.
The iPhone 5c, meanwhile, has seen the last of its life. The polycarbonate shell that saved its owner's life is made from the same material that is used to make shatter-resistant plastic eyeglass lenses and windshields on planes and helicopters. No wonder it saved a man's life.
