Woman hugs, befriends prisoner who shot at her face during robbery

She was 28 and a young mother of two in 1991. It was the same year when she was shot at her face by a 'fearless' teenaged boy who attempted to rob her near a car park. 

In a video that has been circulated on the social media, Debbie Baigrie describes her disbelief that a 13-year-old could pull out a trigger. 

Ian Manuel was charged as an adult for shooting Baigrie in the face and was handed over a life sentence, to be later reduced to 65 years in prison.

In the video, Manuel described how he found Baigrie's number and decided to call her shortly before Christmas. 

She received a call from him and he apologised to her and called it a 'mistake'. Then began a friendly correspondence between the two. 

It was after the call, Baigrie challenged the court's sentence for Manuel, and spoke against what she felt was an unfair punishment. 

In 2016, Manuel, then 39, was released from prison after a judge in Hillsborough County ruled he was eligible for early release. 

His first meal, as a free man, was pizza with Baigrie.

Their friendship has since the blossomed and as per Baigrie, "He is almost like my child now".