Man’s Life Saved By His iPhone After Being Shot By Sawn-Off Shotgun At Close Range

A 25-year-old father-of-two’s life was saved by his iPhone after he was shot at at close range with a sawn-off shotgun in Cheshire, U.K.

Daniel Kennedy is lucky to be alive after the incident, and is only in one piece due to the toughened polycarbonate substance used in the particular iPhone 5 model which he had in his pocket.

Kennedy was shot in an alleyway while he argued with some local teenagers who had been terrorizing the neighborhood.

The life-saving iPhone, which was found by police on the ground near where the shooting occurred, was badly damaged, having taken the brunt of the blast from the shotgun.

The case, which was heard at the Chester Crown Court over a period of three days, detailed how 19-year-old Ryan Duggan shot Kennedy, and was convicted of attempted murder and possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life.

Following the verdict, Detective Inspector Gary McIntyre of Cheshire Police said as follows.

“Fortunately, the victim’s mobile phone took the brunt of the shot and, as a result of this, he survived. This is remarkable — had that phone not been in his pocket at that time he would undoubtedly have died. Despite making good progress he still requires treatment for his injuries — including further operations and rehabilitation. The nightmare is far from over.”

At the time of the incident, the victim of the shooting was taken to the local Aintree Hospital with wounds to his abdomen, and underwent complex surgery.

As Kennedy said to reporters about the incident, “It was pitch black. I got within one metre of him. He spun round and I saw him holding a big silver thing in his hand. There was a flash in front of me. I felt a burning sensation in the bottom of my body. It took me off my feet.”

The prosecutor in the case, QC Kim Halsall, said, “The pathologist said it was fortuitous that Mr. Kennedy’s iPhone took the main blast of the shotgun, as it prevented the majority of pellets entering the body. He concluded that it would only have taken one of these pellets to penetrate a major blood vessel in the region of the abdomen to have caused a fatal internal hemorrhage. His phone saved his life.”

[Image credit: Gizmodo]