US magician David Blaine shoots himself in the mouth as 'bullet catch' stunt goes wrong

US magician David Blaine said that he thought he was dead after a 'bullet catch' stunt went wrong and he injured his mouth. The 43-year-old's latest show Beyond Magic aired on E4 on Friday (6 January) with his famous bullet catch trick as the main act.

He has been practising the act since 2010 and has developed the trick so that he can use a rope to pull the trigger himself.

The illusionist has performed the dangerous trick in front of 20,000 people at Las Vegas' MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Blaine, who famously lived in a glass box next to the River Thames for a month, had been practising the bullet catch by allowing his friends to shoot him in the chest, while wearing a bullet-proof vest.

But even Blaine's friends have now refused to help him perform the stunt after his latest mishap.

The New Yorker uses a special gum shield and a specially designed metal cup that catches a bullet fired from a rifle placed just a few metres away using a laser sight. But, on this occasion, the cup slipped from the grooves that were supposed to secure the cup in place.

As the .22-caliber bullet was fired the cup moved considerably in the magician's mouth and the gum shield shattered in the process.

Speaking after the incident, Blaine said: "Time just started to move really slow. When the bullet struck the cup, there was a high-pitched ringing in my ears and I felt an impact on the back of my throat.

"I was sure the bullet went right through my head and that I was dead. Suddenly I became aware of the pain and it brought me back. At that moment I realised that the mouth guard had shattered again, and I was alive."

The street magician was then checked over by doctors who found that he had a lacerated throat, but no other lasting problems.

After the scary incident, Blaine remains unperturbed and vowed to do the trick still in his upcoming world tour.