Sounds like a .32 auto.
Not an effective defense load.
BS...the purpose of carrying is to resist threat...he did that just fine.
I didn't see anything suggesting what load or even what kind of gun he was using. I've seen surveillance video of a robber shot in the face with a .357 Magnum, and it barely slowed him down.
There is a lot of space on the face where a shot would not necessarily be lethal or even incapacitating. A .22LR through the eye can be instantly lethal, while a .44 Magnum through the cheek might not even faze him.