‘Good job I never take my necklace off’: Colorado man’s life is saved after he’s shot in the chest but bullet becomes lodged in his necklace

Not many people can claim that their bling isn’t just a fashion statement but a medical necessity — except maybe anyone who’s bedazzled their allergy bracelets, that is. For one man who got himself into a gunfight, however, his fake silver necklace ended up saving his life, not just saving his look.

TikTok user @charleybournetruecrime has a knack for tracking down the most shocking true crime stories around, but at least in this case, the tale is shocking because it doesn’t end in bloodshed. As Charley tells it, two Coloradan men (no, neither of them was related to Lauren Boebert — probably) became involved in a heated dispute on May 28, 2024. Due to whatever transpired between them, one of the men pulled a gun on the other and fired. The other man should’ve been killed, as the gun was aimed squarely at his chest. Luckily for him, however, fate intervened. Or at least, a chain of cheaply made metal did.

Despite having a .22 caliber bullet hit his chest, the man survived thanks to the projectile becoming “lodged” in his necklace — which he presumably thought was genuine silver until this event transpired. Due to the necklace getting in the way, the man only suffered a “minor puncture wound.” The shooter has, of course, been arrested and is being charged with attempted murder. His sentence would’ve been much more severe, though, if not for that chain, or if he had aimed even a fraction lower.

Like Charley says in her caption, “Good job I never take my necklace off.”

The information and images Charley uses in her video derive from the Facebook page of the Commerce City Police Department, which first broke the details of the shocking almost-murder. As any jewelers or medieval blacksmiths out there may know, silver is a soft and relatively malleable metal so it’s not strong enough to deflect a bullet of decent caliber from a modern weapon (via Golden State Mint). That’s why there are so many stories about metal deflecting bullets in bygone decades and centuries, as guns were much less powerful then.

So, yes, this man genuinely owes his life to the fact that someone once sold him some fake jewelry. Crooked Coloradan vendor, wherever you are, keep doing what you do. Lives depend on it. As the Commerce City Police Department themselves joked in their post, “We looked it up, and silver is soft,” it said. “So maybe think twice before you knock a knock-off.”