Reddit user /u/antisocialnae reported hearing gunfire outside their home during a late-night gaming session and dropped to the floor before calling 911. After emergency services arrived, the user said they found a bullet hole in the wall behind their setup and discovered the projectile had lodged inside the monitor rather than continuing further into the room.
What the Photos Showed
Photographs associated with the post documented visible damage across several points along the bullet’s reported path.
Photos associated with the post showed damage to the home’s exterior wall, the interior wall, and the display panel itself. The monitor reportedly remained operational outside the damaged LCD section, meaning most of the screen continued to function after the impact.
The User’s Assessment
The user credited the monitor with potentially keeping the bullet away from both themselves and the equipment behind the display.
/u/antisocialnae described the monitor as “the best $280 I ever spent,” suggesting the display may have prevented the bullet from striking them directly or reaching the computer behind it. That characterization reflects the user’s own assessment and has not been independently verified.
What the Monitor Actually Is
The VG258QM is a competitive gaming display with specifications chosen for high frame rates, not for physical resilience.
The ASUS TUF VG258QM is a 24.5-inch Full HD display built for competitive gaming. Its headline specifications include a 280Hz refresh rate, a 0.5ms gray-to-gray response time, and adaptive sync support. It also carries DisplayHDR 400 certification on a TN panel, and without its stand the unit weighs approximately 2.8 kilograms.
A Necessary Clarification
The monitor acted as an accidental final barrier, not a designed protective device, and should not be interpreted as evidence of ballistic capability.
According to the user’s account and associated photographs, the bullet reportedly passed through the home’s exterior and interior walls before reaching the monitor. Building materials absorb projectile energy in transit, which means the display encountered a round that had already lost force. ASUS does not advertise the VG258QM as ballistic protection. Although ASUS markets the VG258QM under its TUF durability line, that branding refers to consumer-grade design standards, not firearms or impact resistance testing. This incident should not be read as evidence that monitors, computers, or any consumer electronics can reliably stop gunfire.
ASUS Responded Publicly
An unnamed ASUS representative acknowledged the unusual situation in the Reddit thread and indicated the company would follow up with the owner.
The representative acknowledged the monitor’s situation and said the company would contact the owner to assess what it could do, according to reporting by Tom’s Hardware and Dexerto. The representative also noted that physical damage of this kind would ordinarily be classified as customer-induced damage or an act of God under standard warranty terms, though they indicated this case might receive special consideration. No replacement had been confirmed at the time of reporting.
Verification Limits
The available evidence rests on a single Reddit post, and several key details about the shooting itself remain unconfirmed.
The account and accompanying photographs originate from a single Reddit post by /u/antisocialnae. Independent confirmation of the projectile, its caliber, firing distance, or precise trajectory had not been reported at publication time. Readers should weigh the account accordingly: a police incident report, a ballistics analysis, or an on-record statement from ASUS would be needed to establish those details with confidence. Viral accounts of this kind often circulate widely before such confirmation is available, and this one is no exception.
