FIU Student Dares Girlfriend To Shoot Him; She Did
MIAMI (CBS4) - A Florida International University student who dared his girlfriend to shoot him has quite a story to tell after she did and a physical anomaly saved his life.
On May 23rd while shooting beer cans and bottles in his backyard Gabriel Mendigutia told CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald he drank nearly two six packs of beer before girlfriend Ally Castro, 19, came over.
Shortly after she arrived Mendigutia dared Castro to shoot him with a pellet rifle…and she did.
The lead pellet traveled through his heart, blocking the main artery, and lodged in his back muscle.
That night Castro asked Mendigutia whether or not she should call 911 shortly before he collapsed.
"He is a miracle case because so many things went in his favor," Dr. Nicholas Namias told the Herald.
Dr. Namias, with the Ryder Trauma Center, was also one of the surgeons who operated on Mendigutia.
Fortunately for Mendigutia the unusual construction of his heart allowed blood to flow to the opposite side of his left anterior descending artery, despite the blockage.
"Gabriel had a right coronary artery that supplies the left anterior descending distribution. He had a blockage, but rare anatomy allowed blood to flow backwards to area of injury, "said Namias to the paper.
Castro says Mendigutia is doing well.
The incident has been classified as an accidental shooting by Miami-Dade Police and it is unlikely that Castro will face any charges.
