MNeagle
22nd February 2011, 07:21 PM
Walter Davis may have been saved by the shiny, gold skin of his tooth.
http://media.nola.com/crime_impact/photo/9313378-small.jpg
Waltdell Davis
Davis was shot this month during an argument with his younger brother about drugs, according to New Orleans police. The bullet that was meant for him, Davis told paramedics, ricocheted off a gold tooth and saved his life.
According to police, Waltdell Davis, 20, shot his brother with a .22-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver on the afternoon of Feb. 7. The argument began after Walter Davis smoked his brother's marijuana, police told the Uptown Messenger, a neighborhood news website.
After the argument, Walter Davis, who is 22, went inside the family home in the 3300 block of Second Street in Central City to take a nap, according to police.
A short time later, Waltdell Davis woke his brother and they began to fight, according to the police report. Waltdell drew his revolver and fired at Walter, who was hit in his upper lip.
Paramedics took Walter Davis to Interim LSU Public Hospital where, doctors told police, the only thing found was a bullet fragment near Davis' left nostril.
Attempts to contact Walter Davis were unsuccessful Tuesday evening.
As implausible as it might sound, dentists say the gold tooth could have helped Walter Davis survive.
Dr. Robert Kelly, a professor in the department of reconstructive sciences and center for biomaterials at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine, said that if the angle and trajectory of the bullet were just right, Davis' thin gold crown could have acted as a protective cover of sorts for the tooth, making it stronger than if it were uncovered.
"Gold is pretty tough stuff," Kelly said, adding that it is malleable enough to take an impact but not necessarily break.
"It depends on how quickly the energy is impacted on the tooth," Kelly said. "But with a low caliber, the right angle -- I don't think it's unlikely" that a bullet could deflect in the opposite direction after hitting the cap.
It's also possible Davis' good fortune had nothing to do with his dental work.
Dr. Jon Perenack, program director for the LSU Dental School's oral and maxillofacial surgery program, said he has seen some people shot in the head with .22-caliber bullets suffer only minor injuries.
"A .22 can bounce off," he said of the weak caliber. "A low velocity could bounce off a tooth if (shot) at the right angle."
Regardless of the physics behind the gunshot, Walter Davis declined to press charges against his brother after the shooting, according to the police report.
But investigators found Waltdell Davis was on parole until December for possession of alprazolam, a drug used to treat anxiety disorders and panic attacks. They arrested him on Feb. 9 in the 2800 block of Perdido Street for a parole violation, since his brother confirmed he was the gunman, according to the police report.
When he was arrested, Waltdell Davis told police he was preparing to turn himself in because of the shooting. He told police that after the shooting he was nervous and threw the gun in an empty lot in the 2800 block of Second Street.
Police looked for the gun in the lot but could not find it.
Since Waltdell Davis admitted to shooting his brother and since he had a firearm, he was booked with aggravated battery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Davis remained jailed Tuesday on a probation hold, court records show.
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2011/02/gold_tooth_may_have_saved_new.html
http://media.nola.com/crime_impact/photo/9313378-small.jpg
Waltdell Davis
Davis was shot this month during an argument with his younger brother about drugs, according to New Orleans police. The bullet that was meant for him, Davis told paramedics, ricocheted off a gold tooth and saved his life.
According to police, Waltdell Davis, 20, shot his brother with a .22-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver on the afternoon of Feb. 7. The argument began after Walter Davis smoked his brother's marijuana, police told the Uptown Messenger, a neighborhood news website.
After the argument, Walter Davis, who is 22, went inside the family home in the 3300 block of Second Street in Central City to take a nap, according to police.
A short time later, Waltdell Davis woke his brother and they began to fight, according to the police report. Waltdell drew his revolver and fired at Walter, who was hit in his upper lip.
Paramedics took Walter Davis to Interim LSU Public Hospital where, doctors told police, the only thing found was a bullet fragment near Davis' left nostril.
Attempts to contact Walter Davis were unsuccessful Tuesday evening.
As implausible as it might sound, dentists say the gold tooth could have helped Walter Davis survive.
Dr. Robert Kelly, a professor in the department of reconstructive sciences and center for biomaterials at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine, said that if the angle and trajectory of the bullet were just right, Davis' thin gold crown could have acted as a protective cover of sorts for the tooth, making it stronger than if it were uncovered.
"Gold is pretty tough stuff," Kelly said, adding that it is malleable enough to take an impact but not necessarily break.
"It depends on how quickly the energy is impacted on the tooth," Kelly said. "But with a low caliber, the right angle -- I don't think it's unlikely" that a bullet could deflect in the opposite direction after hitting the cap.
It's also possible Davis' good fortune had nothing to do with his dental work.
Dr. Jon Perenack, program director for the LSU Dental School's oral and maxillofacial surgery program, said he has seen some people shot in the head with .22-caliber bullets suffer only minor injuries.
"A .22 can bounce off," he said of the weak caliber. "A low velocity could bounce off a tooth if (shot) at the right angle."
Regardless of the physics behind the gunshot, Walter Davis declined to press charges against his brother after the shooting, according to the police report.
But investigators found Waltdell Davis was on parole until December for possession of alprazolam, a drug used to treat anxiety disorders and panic attacks. They arrested him on Feb. 9 in the 2800 block of Perdido Street for a parole violation, since his brother confirmed he was the gunman, according to the police report.
When he was arrested, Waltdell Davis told police he was preparing to turn himself in because of the shooting. He told police that after the shooting he was nervous and threw the gun in an empty lot in the 2800 block of Second Street.
Police looked for the gun in the lot but could not find it.
Since Waltdell Davis admitted to shooting his brother and since he had a firearm, he was booked with aggravated battery and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
Davis remained jailed Tuesday on a probation hold, court records show.
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2011/02/gold_tooth_may_have_saved_new.html