Woman shot in the face with Airsoft gun near North Hills

Officers with the Raleigh Police Department responded to the intersection of Pamlico Drive and Rowan Street on Wednesday evening for a report of a woman being shot with an Airsoft gun, a spokeswoman or the police department said.

"I suddenly felt like a massive force hit the side of my face ... it felt like something like shattering pain," said Melissa Abrahamsen. "The next thing I know, I just kind of bee-lined down the street."

Patrick Abrahamsen said his wife was walking their dog in the area when she was shot.

"I truly thought my wife had been shot," he said. "In the moment, you really don't know. You see it on TV where a car comes in with the window down and you hear 'pop, pop, pop.' It's just the first thing your mind goes to. It's just scary." 

Police said Melissa Abrahamsen was walking on the sidewalk when a truck slowed down and someone fired an Airsoft gun at her, striking her in the face.

"I wasn't sure if I was bleeding. I heard [Patrick Abrahamsen] kind of yelling ... I felt a huge shock. I wasn't really sure what happened. I wasn't sure if he got hit with something. I wasn't sure if my dogs were hurt," said Melissa Abrahamsen.

The truck fled the area, according to police.

"My wife said she looked down at our dog and then felt the impact under her eye," Abrahamsen said. "If she hadn’t looked down I think she would be blind."

Patrick Abrahamsen said his wife will be OK, but the couple wants to warn others in the area.

"We want parents to know, and we don’t want kids shooting guns from moving vehicles in the neighborhoods," said Abrahamsen.

"We just have to make sure kids understand that if they're shooting guns at people, there's ramifications. You can go to jail," he said.

Patrick Abrahamsen described the truck as a late 1990s or early 2000s Chevy or Ford model in tan or gold. He said the truck sped up Pamlico Drive after the shooting, which occurred around 7:15 p.m., and is asking businesses in the area to check their cameras.

The couple believes the shooting was a prank inspired by a challenge circulating on TikTok

"I just think social media has kind of wrapped people into this world that's really make-believe and not reality," said Melissa Abrahamsen. "It's unfortunately having an effect that makes people think that they are invincible and it's just not reality."