CPAP machine stops stray bullet poised to strike sleeping man in head

ATLANTA - An Atlanta man says he was a foot from death. David Watkins describes waking up after a stray bullet almost hit him while he was asleep. His CPAP breathing machine was the only thing between the bullet and his head.

"I have sleep apnea and that’s what saved my life," David Watkins said.

That’s not a phrase often heard, but it could not be more true.

Watkins provided photos which show where a stray bullet went through his room.

"All of a sudden, my machine stopped working. I heard a loud noise. In my mind, I thought I rolled over and pulled the plug out of the wall. My boyfriend came in, flipped the light on, and said there was smoke," Watkins said.

It wasn’t the morning alarm or wake-up call Wakins wanted Monday morning.

"He unplugged my machine, and we looked, and there was a hole in the wall. There was a bullet on my bedside table where my CPAP had stopped it," Watkins said.

"It was right in line with my head. If my CPAP machine had not have been there, then my head would have been what had stopped it."

Atlanta police say they are investigating and working to figure out just what type of bullet was found and where it came from.

"That was literally a foot away from death," Watkins said.

Watkins says he works with those with brain injuries, and he never thought he would be so close to having one himself.

"Make sure you’re living in love and able to help other people. You never know that you might not wake up as I found out," Watkins said.