Moment attacker armed with crossbow walks up to victim to shoot him in head
This is the shocking moment an attacker armed with a crossbow prepared to shoot a man in the head with a crossbow.
The victim, in his 30s, was not expected to survive but eventually pulled through after being placed into a coma for two weeks.
After regaining consciousness, it emerged that the victim had unwittingly filmed the whole incident which happened at a property in Southampton just before 3pm on September 26, 2021.
Attacker Maricel Melinte, 47, has been jailed for 18 years after being found guilty of attempted murder.
He shot the man, who was sitting in the garden, and then a struggle ensued in which Melinte tried to further attack the victim with a hammer.
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The victim was filmed moments before he was shot in the head (Hampshire Police / SWNS)The victim fought him off and ran back into the house, locking Melinte outside. The injured man then stumbled into Winchester Road, where he collapsed.
Members of the public called Hampshire Police, who arrested Melinte in the back garden and also seized the crossbow and a broken bolt shaft. Both men were taken to hospital.
Scans showed that the crossbow bolt was lodged in the victim’s skull and had gone into his brain, so doctors placed him into an induced coma for two weeks.
The victim was shot at point-blank range (Hampshire Police / SWNS)
Maricel Melinte was locked outside when the victim ran inside the house (Hampshire Police / SWNS)He was not expected to survive, but neurosurgeons at Southampton General Hospital carried out a delicate and lengthy operation to remove the bolt. Despite the odds, the surgery was a success.
After regaining 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.
Maricel Melinte was found guilty of attempted murder (Hampshire Police / SWNS)The victim still has issues controlling his left eye and his right elbow, which had been dislocated during the incident and also required surgery, but he is on the road to recovery.
Melinte was sentenced to 18 years in prison at Winchester Crown Court on Friday.
The victim runs in the house and locks Maricel Melinte outside (Hampshire Police / SWNS)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.
X-ray of the crossbow bolt embedded in the victim's head (Hampshire Police / SWNS)"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.
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"I would like to commend his bravery throughout the court process.
The crossbow used by Maricel Melinte (Hampshire Police / SWNS)"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.
"We take all instances of serious violence incredibly seriously and in this case, we used all the resources at our disposal to make sure the victim got the justice he deserved."
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