HALIFAX -- A Nova Scotia woman who survived a gunshot wound to her face is sharing her harrowing experience.
Sasha MacLeod was struck by a bullet that was fired through the window of a home in Halifax’s south end the evening of Nov. 25.
Amazingly, MacLeod says she remembers almost everything that happened before, during, and after she was shot.
“There were bangs at the door and they weren’t knocks,” she recalls. “They were fearful, and so I locked all the doors and I went to the window, and that’s when I was shot.”
MacLeod, who lives in Dartmouth, says she was staying in a short-term rental property with a few friends -- a “staycation” while her three children spent some time with family.
The day before the shooting, MacLeod says two men came to the property on Tower Terrace, looking for a child. She says she told them they had the wrong address.
She doesn’t know if that incident is connected to the shooting -- what she does know is she has never been so scared.
“Just a lot of blood, a lot of ringing in my ears,” recalls MacLeod. “I remember seeing the flash and hearing the bang and I didn’t lose consciousness, which was an odd sensation. It was a lot of blood. It was an overwhelming amount, so I was afraid.”
Her boyfriend called 911 and police and paramedics quickly responded to the scene. MacLeod was rushed to hospital, where she remained for four days.
The bullet went through her cheek, obliterated her ear canal, and lodged into her jawbone.
“It’s harder than I expected,” she says. “I’ve always considered myself a pretty tough person. It’s not something that I’ve ever had to deal with, that type of fear.”
Halifax Regional Police say the investigation into the shooting is ongoing and there is no new information to share at this time.
They also say they don’t believe it was a random incident -- but MacLeod disagrees.
She says she doesn’t believe she -- or anyone who was with her -- is connected to the person, or persons, responsible for the shooting.
“I think it was all a misunderstanding, but I don’t believe I was targeted,” she says. “I don’t believe the police believe that I was targeted.”
Meanwhile, family members have set up an online fundraising page for MacLeod, who won’t be able to return to her work as a cleaner for a while. She will also need help adjusting to her hearing loss.
MacLeod says she may undergo further surgeries in the future to try to repair her ear canal enough so that she could potentially get an implant to bring back her hearing, but she acknowledges that is far down her road to recovery.
MacLeod says she is thankful for the support during what has been a difficult time for her and her family.
“I’m just glad I can look my kids in the face and tell them I’m OK and that I’m still going to be here for Christmas.”
MacLeod says she considers herself a survivor -- and has the scars to prove it.