A man was shot in the head while trying to sell his car in Hopkinsville.
Police say Khalil Thacker shot Barry Burchett after they met through Facebook.
The .22 caliber bullet is still lodged in Burchett’s jaw.
“He had come from behind me and shot me downward this way, right beside this ear. The bullet went right down beside my skull, right beside this ear and stopped in my jaw bone,” Burchett told News 2.
Burchett says he met Thacker at his Hopkinsville home Thursday to sell his 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid. The two were sitting outside when Burchett looked down at his phone.
“I had a ding on my phone” and then a gun was at his head.
“The boom, it was like lightning close to you magnified 1,000 times. I heard booooom and a flash of light at the same time and everything went black. I put my hand down and God took care of me, because when I took my hand down I had blood from here to here solid and I said you done shot me in the head,” he explained.
Burchett pulled his pistol out and wrestled on the ground with Thacker who was able to turn Burchett’s gun on him.
“He had ahold of my wrist on the ground and I remember he had it pointed right between my eyes. I don’t know how I had the strength to get that gun from that young man I don’t know, but I got it turned and I shoved it right in his chest.”
However, the safety was on and the pistol didn’t fire. He says Thacker kicked him in the ribs before running off. While bleeding profusely from his head, Burchett made it to an old church parking lot where he collapsed and called 911 and then his girlfriend.
“I told her come to the hospital, I’ve been shot in the head. He shot me honey. I don’t think I’m going to make it, I’m going to die before you get there but that’s where I’m going,” he teared up.
Burchett woke hours later in the hospital, amazed that he was still alive with a new-found gratefulness for God.
“The young boy thought he was going to shoot an old man and leave him dead, but he didn’t know he had to go through God first to do it. He saved my life, things could be so very different.”
Burchett hopes sharing his story will save someone else from meeting strangers to buy or sell goods. He says if you do need to meet, find a police station or somewhere safe.
He was selling his car with hopes of buying a home. His realtor has set up a gofundme account to help Burchett as he is out of work and doesn’t know if he will ever be able to return. For more click here.
Thacker is behind bars in Christian County. He is a repeat offender, known for stealing cars and he had removed his ankle bracelet. He now has five active felony charges, including first degree assault and tampering with evidence.
