Mich. Man Shot in 1988 Has Bullet Removed 1 hour, 43 minutes ago
DETROIT - Now that the chunk of lead that was lodged against his skull has been removed, it isn't clear if folks who know Chuck Smith will keep calling him Bullethead.
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It's a nickname the warehouse worker from Detroit picked up after being shot in the head in the summer of 1988 — when Coleman Young was mayor, Ronald Reagan was president and the Soviet Union was still in business.
Smith, now 41, had the .22-caliber bullet removed last week, after experiencing recurring headaches, numbness and tingling for several days.
Before that, it was "just one of those things," he told the Detroit Free Press for a story published Wednesday.
"I was never in no pain," Smith said. "I just didn't see a need to get it out."
Smith was shot while changing a tire. He said he heard seven or eight gunshots but didn't think they were nearby. But a young woman rushed up to him and told him he had been shot.
Smith patted the back of his head, saw some blood and thought, "Oh, yeah, I've been shot." Later that night, doctors at what is now Sinai-Grace Hospital took X rays and told him the bullet was lodged between the skin and the skull on the back of his head.
A doctor said it would not pose a danger. He suggested removing it, but not in a way that appealed to Smith.
"I probably would have gotten it out, but it was his wording," Smith said. "He said, `We're going to jab and cut you and pull it out.' It scared me."
Smith lived with the bullet until he started experiencing severe headaches two weeks ago. Doctors inserted needles to anesthetize him before extracting the slug, which came out flattened and black and slightly smaller than a pencil eraser.
"That bullet felt better going in than coming out," Smith said, smiling.
Southfield police will test the bullet to see if there's a criminal connection, Detective John Harris said.
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Information from: Detroit Free Press, http://www.freep.com
DETROIT - Now that the chunk of lead that was lodged against his skull has been removed, it isn't clear if folks who know Chuck Smith will keep calling him Bullethead.
ADVERTISEMENT
It's a nickname the warehouse worker from Detroit picked up after being shot in the head in the summer of 1988 — when Coleman Young was mayor, Ronald Reagan was president and the Soviet Union was still in business.
Smith, now 41, had the .22-caliber bullet removed last week, after experiencing recurring headaches, numbness and tingling for several days.
Before that, it was "just one of those things," he told the Detroit Free Press for a story published Wednesday.
"I was never in no pain," Smith said. "I just didn't see a need to get it out."
Smith was shot while changing a tire. He said he heard seven or eight gunshots but didn't think they were nearby. But a young woman rushed up to him and told him he had been shot.
Smith patted the back of his head, saw some blood and thought, "Oh, yeah, I've been shot." Later that night, doctors at what is now Sinai-Grace Hospital took X rays and told him the bullet was lodged between the skin and the skull on the back of his head.
A doctor said it would not pose a danger. He suggested removing it, but not in a way that appealed to Smith.
"I probably would have gotten it out, but it was his wording," Smith said. "He said, `We're going to jab and cut you and pull it out.' It scared me."
Smith lived with the bullet until he started experiencing severe headaches two weeks ago. Doctors inserted needles to anesthetize him before extracting the slug, which came out flattened and black and slightly smaller than a pencil eraser.
"That bullet felt better going in than coming out," Smith said, smiling.
Southfield police will test the bullet to see if there's a criminal connection, Detective John Harris said.
___
Information from: Detroit Free Press, http://www.freep.com
