Shot in Mouth, Man Credits Life to Dentures
A man shot in the mouth credits his survival to a sturdy pair of dentures.
“I’m alive today because of my false teeth,” said Charles Alexander Hinkle, 38, showing his shattered dentures to reporters.
Hinkle was shot last week by a woman whose angry boyfriend coaxed her into pulling the trigger, said sheriff’s Capt. Richard Cipriano. The bullet pierced the windshield of Hinkle’s car, tore through his upper lip and smashed into the gum portion of his dentures.
“I spit out the bullet,” Hinkle said. “I put my head down below the dashboard and drove to the hospital.”
Bonnie Lee Howard, 34, and her boyfriend, Robert L. Schermerhorn, 58, were arrested and charged with attempted murder, Cipriano said.
The three had been drinking together at a bar, Hinkle said. Schermerhorn left early, and Howard asked Hinkle to drive her home. When they arrived, Schermerhorn allegedly demanded that Howard shoot him.
“That’s the last time I’ll be Mr. Nice Guy,” Hinkle said.
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