Woman befriends prisoner who shot her in the face when he was just 13 years old in incredible tale of forgiveness

An amazing friendship has been formed between a woman and the teenage boy who shot her in the face.

Debbie Baigrie had taken one of her first trips out after having her second child in Tampa in Florida in 1991 when she was shot by 13-year-old Ian Manuel as he was to rob her in a car park and he panicked and fired his gun.

The story of Debbie's forgiveness and their later friendship has been shared by Starbucks on its YouTube Channel as part of its Upstander series.

In the video, she describes her disbelief that a 13-year-old could have been the one to have pulled the trigger.

At the time of the shooting Ian had already built up a reputation in his neighbourhood and his mother had also served time in prison.

Starbucks Upstanders, Series 2, 2017

He said: "I had built a reputation as someone who was fearless. It didn't matter that I was the youngest, I was given a gun."

During the shooting in July 1991, Debbie said: "It was the first time I had been out since my second baby. I saw these three guys walk up to the car.

"I was not really paying attention to them, one of them asked me 'have you got any change', then I heard from behind me someone say 'I'm serious, give it up'."

For the crime, Ian was sentenced to life in prison, without the possibility of parole, a sentence which meant he would never see his mother again.

In the video, he describes how he found Debbie's telephone number and decided to call her shortly before Christmas in 1991.

He said: "I'm glad I had followed my heart and picked up the phone that day because if not I would have missed out on a truly special friendship."

For Debbie, her decision to accept the call from prison has also been life-changing.

She said: "I forgave him because he was a child. I used this to make my life better and to refocus."

Ian was later contacted by lawyer Bryan Stevenson from the Equal Justice Initiative, and they challenged the legality of life sentences without parole for children.

It led Debbie to attend court and speak against what she saw as an unfair punishment. She praised Ian for making a "beautiful" speech to the judge.

Ian said: "I told the judge that me and Debbie have been waiting for years for the judicial system to catch up to my remorse and her forgiveness. I was released that night."

Outside of prison, the friendship has blossomed as Debbie supports Ian. She said: "Our relationship spans so many years from childhood to adulthood, that he's almost like my child.

"I'm not saying he wasn't responsible for his actions, but when you are 13 you should be given the opportunity to change, to grow. What I feel is compassion for another human being."

Watch the video below...