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...
One funny thing, if the shooter had been a white guy, she would never have talked to him. The white guilt runs deep in this cunt. This story is just sick, "he was just a lost 13 year old boy, poor guy, boo-hoo". All guys have been a lost 13 year old boy at one point, me too, but I didn`t fucking shoot someone in the fucking face! It`s just sickening, this story is sickening, I want that guy back behind bars and I want that woman locked up in a mental hospital. Why? Becasue he shot a woman in the face for fucks sake. And she needs to be protected against her self.
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