Police: Headrest slowed down bullet that struck woman in car on Roosevelt Boulevard

PHILADELPHIA - A woman who was shot in the head inside her car in Philadelphia is lucky to be alive after police say her headrest slowed down the bullet that struck her. 

The 35-year-old woman was hit in the back of the head while sitting in her car on Roosevelt Boulevard near the intersection of Conwell Avenue around 3 p.m.

"When that bullet penetrated the window and went into the headrest, it was the headrest that was really instrumental in preventing much further damage to the victim," Inspector D.F. Pace said.

Investigators believe the shooter was among a group of mourners placing balloons at the intersection for a motorcyclist killed in a recent crash. 

Police say someone in a passing car threw a water bottle at the group, and the shooter responded by firing at the car, but missed and struck the innocent woman driving nearby.

She was taken by medics to Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital where police say she is in stable condition. 

Police did not report any arrests immediately following the shooting. No description of the shooter was shared by investigators.