“I am just very scared to go to my room”: San Diego student recounts errant bullet grazing her head through bedroom wall

A 20-year-old student in San Diego just managed to survive an errant bullet attack. On Tuesday, February 6, the bullet entered her bedroom and wounded her in the head. She is currently living in a downtown condominium close to the Gaslamp District with her grandmother.

As per NBC 7, shortly before 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Daria Tolokonnikova, a student at San Diego City College, was studying on her bed. Suddenly, a bullet burst through the bedroom's plasterboard. Following which, she was abruptly knocked out of bed, fell to the ground, and started bleeding from the back of her skull.

Speaking to NBC San Deigo about the incident, Tolokonnikova said,

"I am scared right now to go to my room. I am just very scared to go to my room. When I hear some noises I get terrified."

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The bullet that hit the San Diego student was shot from neighboring apartment

The alleged shooter was arrested (Image via Pexels)

The bullet that hit the San Diego woman, Daria Tolokonnikova, ripped through the plasterboard between her room and the flat next door. It then got embedded in the wall across Tolokonnikova's bed and was stuck there, as per NBC News.

It was a 9-millimeter round that was fired through the common wall that separated the condo owned by Tolokonnikova's grandmother from the next unit.

Tolokonnikova was thrown from her bed by the gunfire. She ended up bleeding from the back of her head when she fell to the ground. Luckily, she sustained only a little cut on her scalp from the bullet.

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Tolokonnikova opened up about her experience to NBC 7 on Thursday. Speaking about the moment she got shot, she said,

“I started blacking out. Everything immediately blacked out. I fell down on the ground for a second or two.”

A police report that was provided to NBC San Diego claimed that Samuel C. Hernandez, age 22, shot the round. He served as a Corporal in the United States Marine Corps and was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 41 at MCAS Miramar. He was taken into custody on charges of careless gun discharge. However, he was later freed on bond.

NBC San Diego further reported that, according to San Diego Police Department Officer Darius Jamsetjee, Hernandez was "just manipulating the firearm.”

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As per NBC 7, the police record also included a statement provided to the investigating officer by Cpl. Hernandez. According to the report,

"I was practicing my dry firing of my pistol. It was a Glock 19 handgun that I own. I was being stupid and put my finger in the trigger and played stupid games. I was aiming at the wall.”

Speaking to the publication, Tolokonnikova's grandmother said,

“I would understand that it could happen with anybody but not the guy who is professional, who is in the military and was playing with a gun.”

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Luckily, Tolokonnikova's wounds were not potentially fatal. After the incident, she was taken to the hospital. However, she was later sent home once the physicians were able to sew up the wound and do a number of X-rays and tests.

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A hearing for Cpl. Hernandez is scheduled for later this month. He was booked into San Diego County Jail on Wednesday morning, but was released later that evening after posting $25,000 bond, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

Following this, the Police Department has been contacted by NBC News for a response but no reply came as of yet.