Bonita mother nearly shot by stray bullet while driving

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — A mother is grateful to be alive after a possible stray bullet went through her car while driving Tuesday night.

Melanie Diaz was traveling to Bonita Springs on 12th Street near William’s Avenue when she thought she heard fireworks.

Diaz’s driver side window was down, but the bullet shattered her passenger side window, the glass cutting her face and scaring her 5-year-old daughter in the backseat.

“Because it was such a high rate of speed, I guess when the glass actually hit me, it was actually sticking in parts of me,” she said. “I had to peel it out.”

Diaz said when the bullet shattered the window, she swerved into a trash can and broke her side view mirror.

While she admits they’re lucky to only have a few scratches and a broken window, Diaz hopes people think twice before they shoot.

“I don’t think people realize that you may be playing or partying or celebrating the New Year or right after, it can actually harm or hurt someone else,” she said.

Diaz said Lee County deputies told her they hadn’t received any shots fired calls that night.

The sheriff’s office couldn’t be reached for comment.