SEATTLE – A grandmother from Tacoma feels lucky to be alive after a random bullet flew through her car window as she drove through Seattle’s Pioneer Square area. 

The backstory:

It happened near 4th and Jackson in busy rush hour traffic on Friday.

She says she first thought she was hit by a rock, but after she saw a doctor, it became clear it was something more serious. 

“We had a great day at Pike Place Market,” said Edith Oppenheimer, a Tacoma resident.

She had celebrated her daughter’s birthday at Pike Place Market on Friday, with her daughter and grandkids who were seeing it for the first time. 

“We had so much fun walking through, the girls loved it,” said 

The family started the drive back to Tacoma at around 5 p.m. 

“The windows were open, it was a beautiful day in Seattle on Friday,” said Edith. 

As they neared Pioneer Square and I-5, passing near the stadiums, train and bus stations, something smacked into her face at around 4th and Jackson. 

“I just felt something hit my cheek,” Edith said. 

She managed to pull the car over safely, despite the pain in her face. 

“I put my hand to my cheek and my arms are just covered in blood,” said Edith. 

Her daughter called 911 and police and EMTs arrived quickly to help. 

“They asked me if it was a bullet. Who gets hit by a bullet?” she said. “I’m like, ‘No, it was a rock or something,’ because we were in shock.”

When she got back to Tacoma, she went to the hospital where doctors determined it was no rock. 

“The doctor came and numbed my face and pulled out this pellet,” said Edith. “Then I thought it was very real, and I started shaking and tearing up a little.”

The pellet or bullet had hit her cheekbone and bent on impact.

“I have a pretty good black eye and my cheek is pretty swollen and puffy. It’s hard to chew, it hurts to laugh,” said Edith. 

Still, she feels fortunate. 

“It didn’t hit my eye, it didn’t hit my temple. I could have crashed the car, all of us could have been hurt,” said Edith.

She’s asking anyone with video or information regarding who’s responsible to come forward. 

“Who thinks they are going to be shot? It was a beautiful day. My daughter and I were talking about how fun Seattle was,” said Edith. “If anybody saw anything, we need to stop these people.”

Edith says people have responded on social media, saying that they believe the bullet or pellet looks like it came from a .22 caliber air rifle. That has not been confirmed by the police. The investigation remains active. 

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