Crossbow attacker who shot friend in the head at point blank range is jailed
Shocking images show the moments a man was shot in the head with a crossbow at point blank range – and survived.
The unnamed victim, aged in his 30s, was placed in a coma for two weeks and was not expected to live, police said.
But he miraculously pulled through, and was told as he regained consciousness that he'd unwittingly filmed the whole incident.
Attacker Maricel Melinte, 47, has now been jailed for 18 years after being found guilty of attempted murder.
He shot the victim – who he knew – at a property in Southampton on 26 September, 2021.
A struggle then ensued in which Melinte tried to further attack the man with a hammer.
But the victim fought him off and ran back into the house, locking Melinte outside.
The injured man then stumbled outside, where he collapsed.
Members of the public called Hampshire Police, who arrested Melinte in the back garden as well as seizing the crossbow and a broken bolt shaft. Both men were taken to hospital.
Scans showed the crossbow bolt was lodged in the victim's skull and had gone into his brain, with doctors placing him in an induced coma for two weeks.
At this stage, he was not expected to survive, but neurosurgeons at Southampton General Hospital carried out a complicated and lengthy operation to remove the bolt.
Against the odds, the surgery was a success.
After he regained consciousness, the victim told officers he had unwittingly filmed the whole incident on his camera, which he put on top of Melinte's shed to film a time-lapse video that afternoon.
The victim still has issues controlling his left eye and with his right elbow, which had been dislocated during the attack and also required surgery, but he is on the road to recovery.
Melinte was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on Friday.
DI Howard Broadribb said: "The fact that this man survived such an ordeal is quite simply a miracle. The bolt was millimetres away from killing him.
"I can only be thankful that it stopped where it did so he was able to give us his account of what happened that afternoon.
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"Although thankfully he is still with us, his life has been changed forever in the space of a few seconds due to Melinte’s incomprehensible actions. I would like to commend his bravery throughout the court process.
"We may never know why Melinte decided to commit this awful act, but thanks to the hard work of the investigators and the footage obtained from the camera, he will be spending a long time behind bars for this terrifying attack."
