Man overcomes tragic gun violence GREENWOOD, Ind. (WISH) — It’s a story about resilience, overcoming tragedy, and lessons learned on a mat. “A 9mm bullet entered my skull right here, and it stopped, so it’s still lodged in my head.” James Clingerman is the owner of Indiana Brazil ian Jiu-jitsu Academy in Greenwood. He was a Gracie jiu-jitsu national champion and won several awards; but at the height of his competitive career, at 20 years old in 2000, he stopped at a stoplight and that’s when Jay Messer pulled a gun on him. “I saw the gun come up and he says, ‘Are you afraid of it?’ And I’m thinking, ‘Yes, I am very.’ So I just drove forward ran through the red light, but I didn’t have a chance and I got hit, right on the cheek.” His dream of becoming an mixed martial arts champion was crushed. He was shot on his left cheek, and it left permanent scars. He is almost completely blind on his left eye and sometimes he has trouble hearing. Messer was supposed to serve 54 years in prison, but instead he served less than half of that and was released in 2025. Police say he threatened another person and pointed a gun on Dec. 25 in McCordsville. Messer on Tuesday was in the Hancock County jail in Greenfield. Clingerman said, “We have people who go to prison for these horrible things and they get a slap on the wrist. They’re sentenced to a long-term sentence and then get out shortly and immediately turn around and they’re in a much worse situation.” James says Brazilian Jiu-jitsu helped him during his darkest times with anger and emotions he felt then. He describes the sport as high-speed problem-solving. “Most of the time, it’s literal pressure, squeezing you and you can’t breathe and you have to escape before your arm pops. … I think that applies to everything we do in life. I was faced with this life challenge, and the only option I have is to go through it to get out of it and win.” By “winning,” James described it as about moving past the tragedy and giving back to his community. James said life can be a struggle, and there isn’t anything people can’t work through. Despite his challenges, his academy has been in business for more than 20 years and he said has more than 300 students. ...read more read less