Zariyona Rowe said she drove away after a gunman demanded the watch and fired into her car.
ATLANTA, GA — A metro Atlanta woman is recovering after she said she was shot in the face Wednesday night during an attempted robbery tied to a Facebook watch sale.
Zariyona Rowe told Atlanta News First she agreed to meet a potential buyer, but the exchange turned violent soon after she arrived in her car. Rowe said a man put a gun to her head, demanded the watch and threatened to kill her. She said she sped away and was shot as she tried to escape.
Rowe described the attack from a hospital bed after the shooting. “He put a gun to my head and was like, ‘Give me the watch. Imma kill you,’” Rowe said. She said the bullet entered the side of her face, traveled below her jaw and passed through her nasal cavity. Rowe underwent surgery Thursday and said she remained in good spirits as she continued to recover. The exact meeting location was not reported, and police details on possible suspects, arrests or charges were not immediately available in the published account.
Rowe said she later obtained video footage that showed the suspect firing at her car as she pulled away. After she was wounded, she drove to a nearby gas station for help. She said she called her mother while bleeding and shouted from her car window that she had been shot. Rowe said she struggled at first to get someone to respond before one man helped her. “When I saw the first guy that was willing to help me, I just stayed with him,” Rowe said.
A fundraiser created for Rowe identifies her as a 21-year-old U.S. Navy veteran and says she faces medical costs and other expenses after the shooting. The fundraiser says two men approached her during the attempted sale and that she hit several cars while trying to get away after being shot. The account said the money raised would go toward medical care and financial burdens linked to the attack. Those details were separate from the broadcast report, which focused on Rowe’s hospital interview and her account of the shooting.
The case centers on an online marketplace meeting that Rowe expected to be a watch sale. Instead, she said, the meeting became a robbery attempt inside or near her vehicle. Rowe said keeping the car in drive helped her react when the gunman threatened her. Her account left several key facts unknown, including how the buyer contacted her, whether the watch was taken, whether anyone else was hurt and whether investigators have recovered the video she described.
No arrest was announced in the public reports reviewed Friday. It was also unclear which agency was leading the investigation or whether police had released a suspect description. The next steps are expected to include review of any video, witness statements from the gas station or nearby area, and any police report tied to the shooting and attempted robbery. Rowe’s recovery also remains ongoing after Thursday’s surgery.
Rowe said the shooting left her in what she called a life-or-death situation. Her comments focused on the moments after the gunman raised the weapon, the drive for help and the first person who stopped to assist her. Friends and supporters have described her as resilient as she begins what they said will be a difficult recovery.
As of Friday, Rowe was recovering after surgery, and no public report had confirmed an arrest. The next milestone in the case is any police update on a suspect, charges or evidence from the Wednesday night shooting.
Author note: Last updated June 5, 2026.