Massachusetts

Massachusetts Man Struck by Stray Bullet While Sleeping

A 71-year-old Massachusetts man is recovering after he was struck by a stray bullet while he was asleep in his bed.

The bullet hit Francisco Barbosa of Brockton in the leg around midnight Friday as he slept at his Owens Avenue home.

“The first thing that he heard was the shots, and then he felt the pain,” said Ariana Barbosa, the victim's daughter. “I ran into his room and the first thing I had seen was a hole in the wall, so I figured something serious had happened."

She said she and her niece frantically tried to figure out what had occurred.

“All the sudden my dad raised up his sweatpants and we seen like blood stain,” she said.

The bullet had grazed her father's thigh, leaving him badly bruised and bloody, but Ariana said she feels lucky that her father wasn’t more seriously injured.

Her mother passed away a year ago, and she couldn’t imagine losing her father in such a senseless way.

“To be in your own home it’s even more scarier that he’s minding his own business and he’s sleeping," she said. "For something to happen like that, it’s just a scary thought."

Police are looking into whether a neighbor’s surveillance cameras may have captured the moments the shots were fired.

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