Woman 'shot in the face' with AR-15 by ex at 'worst time' to leave him
A woman has recounted the chilling tale of how she narrowly escaped death when her ex-fiancé shot her in the face with the infamous AR-15 'mass murder' rifle after their breakup.
Abigail Winters survived a horrifying assault by her former fiancé, Bryan States. The 21-year-old had broken off her engagement with States seven months before the incident that occurred outside his home on May 2, 2022.
On that fateful day, Winters was sitting in her car when States came out of his house, armed with a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle. He fired at Winters twice in the shoulder and once in the face through the car window, before he fled the scene and took his own life.
Winters and States had been in a relationship since they were in junior high. The couple parted ways in October 2021 following the birth of their baby, Staisles, as Winters began to fear for her son's safety.
Winters subsequently started a new relationship with Jordan Taylor, a painter she met on Tinder.
Winters believes that the States planned to harm both her and Taylor the day before their court appearance.
On the day of the attack, Winters' mother heard the gunshots from inside the States' house and rushed out to find her daughter wounded. Despite the terrifying situation, Winters remained remarkably composed, applying pressure to her facial injury, which ultimately saved her life.
Abigail, from Kansas City, Kansas, said: "The day before court is when he shot me. It was a very traumatic day. I got there [to his house], and my mom went inside to get my son. I was sitting in the car. I was texting my boyfriend that I was sorry that I was there, and then that's when Bryan shot me twice in my shoulder."
Winters didn't feel the first few shots
"I looked up and saw him. I didn't feel the first few shots; I heard them. I tried to protect my face with my two hands, and he shot me again between my fingers in my face. It was through the car window. I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't through the car window, it was such a big gun, I wouldn't be alive."
"I saw the blood and thought in movies they put pressure on the wound, so the only wound I knew I had was my face, so I put my hands on my face, and there was a hole in my face. I was so calm and peaceful. Nothing hurt. I remember being very alert. I remember the entire thing."
"He then ran away and shot himself. He texted me 'Oh my god, are you okay?' and then shot himself. He thought he was going to go to jail for child endangerment. He wasn't going to let that happen. He wanted us to die together."
Winters' mother discovered her after hearing the gunfire from indoors, quickly securing Staisles in his car seat and rushing Abigail to safety before contacting emergency services.
Following the assault, Winters, now 23, perseveres through her healing process. Though she lost vision in one eye and endured numerous operations, she maintains her strength with support from her current boyfriend, Jordan Taylor.
"I tried to protect my face with my two hands."
Winters channels her harrowing ordeal into speaking out against domestic abuse, stressing the need to identify warning signs, get assistance, and put personal safety first.
She explained: "I was doing fine, I left Bryan, I got myself a car, a job, I was doing wonderful. Every time I felt I was doing well, he took it away from me. There was a lot of jealousy and sadness. He was very, very jealous of Jordan."
"He never cared about my son; he just used him as leverage. He took my baby for a whole week and wouldn't give him back. He wanted me to meet him and come pick my baby up at the park, but only if my boyfriend came too."
"He put his hands on me at the park in front of my boyfriend, and my boyfriend had him arrested for child endangerment. After he was arrested, he was in jail for a week for domestic battery and domestic assault, and child endangerment. After that, he was very angry when he got out."
Abigail first crossed paths with Bryan when they started their walk home from school together at age 13, but she admits there were warning signs right from the start of their relationship, beginning with "small things like pinching."
These early red flags eventually escalated into "full-blown" abuse where he would strike and kick her, yet she felt trapped by his manipulation as he would break down and claim she was all he had.
Winters explained: "At first, I noticed he was a little odd and I felt bad for him. It felt like he was a sad dog, almost. I wanted to fix him. He wasn't a very touchy person. He didn't want to kiss or hold hands, things like that."
"We just kind of existed together until he got angry, and then he'd take it out on me. I wanted to stay with him because I felt like he didn't have anyone else. I just wanted to get him help."
The brutal assault cost Winters her eye and landed her in the hospital for a month, where she endured two cardiac operations, rib surgery, and procedures on both lungs.
Abigail reflected: "I'm not ashamed that I need help now. It's okay to not be okay. If you need help, it's okay, and it's okay to say you need help. I wish I'd gotten help earlier. My message [for other women suffering domestic abuse] is to get out."
"Love your family, your family loves you, your friends love you, they're not gone. You've just been gone. They're still here for you. Let them love you. Find a healthier relationship. You will find one out there by loving yourself."
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