KALAMAZOO (WKZO) -- The New Year in Kalamazoo literally  began with a bang and we aren’t talking about the fireworks downtown.

A Kalamazoo teen was shot in the face as he was riding in a car early on New Years Day. Public Safety says the victim will apparently recover.

In fact he was able to tell detectives that they had been followed by a white Dodge Durango for several blocks before someone inside the pick-up began firing at them and he was hit.

The shooting occurred in the 12-hundred block of Wells Place around 3:40AM.

The victim was admitted to Bronson Hospital. His name was not released. The suspect or suspects remain at large.