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Ultimate Bad Shroom Trip: Man Accused Of Shooting New Friend He Thought Was An Undercover Cop

Chad Davis Zimbelman met a woman at a bar last Wednesday. By Thursday morning that woman had been shot four times. 

By Gina Tron

These weren't mellow mushrooms.

A 28-year-old man from Wilson, North Carolina is accused of shooting a woman on Thursday after they both took psilocybin, also known as “psychedelic mushrooms.”

Chad Davis Zimbelman, 28, met the 27-year-old victim at a bar on Wednesday. By Thursday morning, they were allegedly taking shrooms together.

A 9:30 a.m., a woman called 911 to report a shooting, the Wilson Times reported. Police arrived to find the woman seriously injured. She had been shot four times — in her shoulder, stomach and even twice in her back.

Miraculously, she is expected to survive.

It seemed like a bad trip even before the shooting. The victim told police that she became ill and Zimbleman became belligerent, the Wilson Times reported. Then, Zimbleman allegedly went to his car to get his handgun, and accused her of being an undercover cop before the gunfire erupted. Even after being shot four times, the woman was able to calm Zimbleman down enough for the pair to get inside her car. She later told police she wanted to find somewhere safe.

At some point, she jumped out of the car and ran into a business, where she collapsed on the floor.

Zimbleman has been charged with felony assault and felony attempted murder. It’s unclear if he has a lawyer at this time who can speak on his behalf. He has no criminal convictions in North Carolina, the Wilson Times reported. At least 15 firearms were seized from his home, following his arrest.

Violence stemming from psychedelics is rare. In fact, studies have shown that typically psychedelics have a calming effect. Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that people who have taken psychedelics are actually less likely to assault someone, compared to the average person, according to a published study. Shrooms are even being considered by some scientists as a tool to combat domestic violence, according to a study in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

[Photo: Wilson County Sheriff’s Department]

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