PPD: Man shoots girlfriend in the face

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) - Pensacola Police have made an arrest in a shooting that left a woman seriously injured. It happened around 2:30 a.m. Thursday, February 28, 2013, in the area of Blount and Watson streets.

Lt. Doug Baldwin said the victim and her boyfriend Henry Blackmon, 21, were arguing in a car when Blackmon allegedly pulled a gun and shot her in the face.

“Fortunately, the bullet was deflected off her front teeth. The bullet then traveled into her nasal cavity,” Baldwin said.

Police said Blackmon then shoved the victim out of the vehicle onto the street and then took off.

Authorities said the victim actually managed to call 911 and report the crime.

Police said officers nearby spotted the suspect’s vehicle and chased him nearly five miles to the corner of Cervantes and X Street.

Baldwin said the chase finally ended once officers slammed Blackmon’s car into a chain link fence.

They said he refused to leave his car and began reaching under his seat for a gun.

Baldwin said officers fired several shots at Blackmon but he wasn’t hit.

The shooting happened right in front of Saralyn Carr’s home on Blount Street. She said she feels for the victim.

“It scares me, it really does. This has always been a quiet side of town. We try to keep it that way,” Carr said.

Lt. Baldwin said considering the location of the injury, the victim’s chances of survival were slim.

“Normally, we find that victims don’t survive this kind of injury. She was very fortunate and blessed to survive that shooting,” Baldwin said.

The victim was taken to the hospital for treatment. Authorities said her wounds are not life threatening.

Blackmon is facing attempted murder, assault, possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, vehicle theft, fleeing police and driving with a suspended license.