WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — A Winston-Salem man is crediting a cup for saving his life after bullets came flying through his home in the middle of the night Wednesday.
Police said it happened on Salem Springs Court just before 1 a.m.
Officers found two people at the scene who said a group started firing at them while they were sitting in the car. The victims told police the suspects took off with a third suspect in a gold-colored sedan.
The two men injured were not shot but got hurt when glass shattered in their car. They were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Police said several homes were hit with bullets during the shooting, Theodore Watson's was one of them.
Watson said he was laying in bed when he heard the sound of gunshots.
"I was watching television drifting in and out and I was facing towards the window. I heard a couple of shots which I ignored because we have shootings in the neighborhood but then the shots got louder. I mean real loud. And by the time it got loud I was hit in the face with something. Didn’t know what it was at the time but it scared me," he said.
Watson said he got up, tried to get his clothes on as fast as he could, then called down to his wife to make sure she was OK.
"I didn’t know I was injured. As I came down the stairs I had blood on me and I left a blood trail," said Watson.
He later realized the window that shattered cut his arms when the bullet came through his home. He also found an aluminum cup with bullet holes in it. That cup was sitting right next to his head before shots were fired.
"I'm very fortunate to be alive I think," he said, "I think the cup saved my life I do. Because I got some glass shattering by my bedside and I see an indentation where a bullet hit."
Watson said the incident shook him up, but he's grateful the outcome wasn't different.
"You live in a neighborhood and you think that you’re safe but you’re not really safe. You just pray that nobody comes knocking on your door. And like I said we were fortunate this time that nobody was seriously hurt so I'm thankful," he said.
Winston-Salem police are still searching for the suspects involved in an early morning shooting.
The suspects were described as three men who left the scene in a gold-colored sedan.
The Winston-Salem Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in this case.
Anyone with any information regarding this incident or similar crimes is asked to call the Winston-Salem Police Department at 336-773-7700, Crime Stoppers at 336-727-2800, or En Espanol 336-728-3904.
Text-A-Tip Program at 336-276-1717 allows you to anonymously text tips, photos, and videos to the Winston-Salem Police Department.