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Courtesy of the Shevchenko family
Kristina Shevchenko, 15, was hospitalized Tuesday night after being shot by a gunman at Clackamas Town Center in Portland, Ore.
Updated at 1:30 p.m. ET -- A teenager from Oregon faces a “long road to recovery” after surviving her second brush with death in just the past few months.
Kristina Shevchenko, 15, was rushed to a hospital Tuesday in critical condition after a masked gunman sprayed bullets around a suburban Portland, Ore., mall during the height of holiday shopping season, piercing her chest. After surgery, she was in stable condition, according to a statement from her family.
Her family continued to update supporters on her condition via a Facebook page on Wednesday, with her brother, Yevgeniy, writing early in the morning, "The bullet went through bruising her lung, it missed any vital organs and it missed her ribs. She will need 2 more operations. we appreciate any and all support including your prayers! Thank you."
In another post, Shevchenko's family revealed something else: Over the summer, Shevchenko had survived another fatal encounter.
"Many of you have noticed the earlier tragedy that happened in our family a couple months ago where 7 of my siblings and 2 friends were involved in a fatal car accident. You could read it online for yourself, but yes it did happen and yes Kristina was in that car accident," the post read, and linked to an article about a Beaverton, Ore., man who was killed after veering into a van driven by a 27-year-old member of the Shevchenko family.
Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts identifies the victims of a deadly shooting at an Oregon mall, saying there was "no apparent relationship" between the two and the shooter.
Oregon mall gunman ID'd; motive unclear
The crash happened in Vancouver, Wash., in August, and alcohol was believed to have been a factor, Vancouver police told Columbian.com. Multiple teens and adults were in the van when the driver -- Alberto Perez Garcia, 25 -- veered into it, they said. The driver and at least two other adults had been hospitalized at the time.
In a statement, the family described Shevchenko as a "happy child" who is "active in church," and said "by the mercy of God she is now in stable condition, but has a long road to recovery."
Shevchenko, who had been with a friend when she was shot, regularly walked through the mall around the time of the shooting -- which happened at about 3:20 p.m. on Tuesday -- to get home from school, her family said.
The motive for the shooting, which sent Christmas shoppers and people waiting in line to see Santa running for cover, wasn't clear.
Several witnesses reported hearing the gunman, identified as Jacob Tyler Roberts, 22, announce, "I am the shooter," before he began firing.
"All of a sudden, I just heard a series of gunshots… boom, boom, boom, boom, boom… whatever the shooter was shooting at, they continued to shoot," shopper Bill Hoff told NBC station KGW.
Macy's employee Mariah Saldana told KGW that she was sitting by the door "watching what was going on, and then some guy just ran by in a white mask and an assault rifle, and then I look out because I hear a few shots and he's … and he’s sitting there and he's pointing the gun at some people."
Clackamas County Sheriff Craig Roberts discusses the gunman who opened fire at a Portland-area mall, saying it "looked to be a random shooting."
More content from NBCNews.com:
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- Girl, 15, shot in Oregon mall cheats death twice
- 'Unique' smuggling attempt: $42,500-worth of marijuana shot into Ariz. by cannon
- Much-criticized 'drum major' quote on Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial to be removed
- Video: Driver ticketed for truck covered in Christmas lights
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I will pray for this woman and her family. I also hope her medical bills are paid by someone ... Perfect example where the medical professionals and hospitals and drug companies could provide "free" services.
Unfortunately, the doctors that are willing to provide these services are in Afghanistan providing free services. Then getting catured by the Taliban so some SEALS can stop what they're doing for the military and try and save their stupid azzes. SEAL gets killed, doctor goes home to loving family, writes book about the experience and becomes millionaire. Wait and see.
Where is Zimmerman when you need him ?
I wish this young lady a full recovery! It seems like a person is not safe anywhere! The only one who is to blame for this tragedy,people,is the person who made the choice to go to the mall with a gun,and start shooting! HIS CHOICE! He then made the choice to kill himself! Its the choices we make,people!
where are all those people carring CCWs, what the @!$%# why did'nt any body shoot the shooter. @!$%#en pussys all of you, what does it take to wake people up? If someone wants you dead guess what? your dead with or without a gun. someone in that mall was carring a pistol, just to afraid to use it, shame on you pussy. gutless, gutless ,gutless, gutless.
Things like this happen so often in this country that people watching television just sit back and say to themselves, "Yeah, thats about right. Random nut shoots up public place." Other countgries have just as many guns as we do, and granted things like this happen once in a while, but not as often as they do here. It tends to make me think Americans for some reason or another are just inherently more violent and desensitized to violence as a result.
We still live in the wild wild west.
Actually, NO other country has as many guns as we do. That's why we're #1 in gun homicides. And the 'wild, wild West' was not as wild as Hollywood would have us believe. Some towns were, just as today, but guns were mainly for survival, not for replacing courage.
Canada has just as many guns as we do, less control and not nearly as much violent crime.
First of all death will get her at some point... no one makes it out alive.
Tis the time of year for all the depressed people to become unhinged, I hope all this news coverage does not stir up the "copycats"
Peace
She's a special person!
What a tragedy, my thoughts are with all the victims and their families. I find it extremely disturbing how common this has become. It seems there is a new story similar to this every few months. Sickening that these people have no problem murdering innocent people.
All because of another coward with a gun. So tragic.
These two events that she has lived through may actually turn out to be a blessing for her. She'll be able to live life TRULY knowing, beyond words, to cherish every moment and every loved one, as it can be taken from you in an instant. Hoping her a speedy and full recovery.
I was in the Deptford Mall in Deptford, NJ on Monday, August 5, 1996 when Moses Clary and his accomplice attempted an armed hold up on a Brink's armored car driver that was carrying the day's take from the bank inside the mall. In the ensuing fire fight, a fifteen and sixteen year old boy and girl were hit in the cross fire and both died at the scene. The young girl, Maureen Lavin from Swedesboro, died in my arms as I tried to comfort her in her dying moments. I closed her eyes as the blood cascaded down the mall stairs from the gaping 9 mm. hole in the side of her head. I was the one who looked in her mother's eyes on Friday, August 9, the day of her funeral, and saw a pain that seemed to have no ending. And oh, by the way, if you are wondering if I would have had a gun, would I have been able to intercede and stop Moses Clary. When I ran out of Foot Action where I left my wife, I almost immediately confronted Clary as he was running from the scene. He pointed his gun at me and that froze me in my tracks. After Moses was sentenced to life in prison for his crimes, I wrote to him in prison and asked him why he didn't shoot me. He wrote me back and told me it was because he was out of ammunition. The other thing I forgot to mention was that it was my wife's 25th birthday when this tragedy happened. Now every year on my wife's birthday I think of Maureen and what I saw and also think of the lyrics to the Neil Young song "Powderfinger." "Shelter me from the powder and the finger, cover me with the thought that pulled the trigger. Think of me as one you'd never figure, to fade way so young with so much left undone, remember me to my girl cause you know I'll miss her." How many more Maureen Lavins do we have to lay in the ground until we as a society decide that enough is enough, and we will not accept a gun dominated culture. Do not ask for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee.
IT IS TIME FOR AMEND THE CONSTITUTION - NO GUNS...PERIOD. IT WILL TAKE TIME FOR THE CHANGE BUT WE ALL AMERICANS SHOULD AGREE AND UNDERSTAND GUNS ARE NO GOOD. 1) No body likes to go to malls or movie theaters all wary and loaded with guns (for our own protection). 2) It is impossible to restrict deranged people from guns when guns have easy access. Also, anyone (when really upset) can turn into a deranged person. Example road rage.
So only the criminals will have them...real good. See how that's worked out in England, Austrailia and anywhere else.
Should we ban bow and arrows to? Read the story about the kid who shot an arrow through his dads head on campus in broad daylight.
Since when do criminals walk into a store, wait in line and fill out the proper paperwork to get a gun? They get them ILLEGALLY! They aren't traceable. You need to understand that not everyone is a decent human being. They don't care for laws.
JP,
Dragging England & Australia into this was foolish. Compare their firearm homicide rates to ours, & you'll see why.
See how their rates increased once they took guns from legal people then get back to us.
Reminds me of that movie Final Destination.
I can tell most of you setting at your computer have never been in a firefight. Or a church. The ignorance in America is overwhelming and second only to the senseless, arrogant banter. But then you are just following your chosen example.
LOL! Since you added absolutely nothing to the topic being discussed, I'd say you have contributed senseless, arrogant banter.
Nobody truly cheats or escapes death but this young lady has had two recent close calls. Some will say it is divine intervention, fate, she is lucky or she is meant for better things or a higher purpose in life. I can't honestly say if all are right or wrong. She is fortunate to be alive and I hope she recovers fully and makes the best of her life and isn't burdened by the tragedies and experiences to slow her down in life and will have a full and happy life.
Final Destination reality.
The problem isn't guns, the problem is we have more and more f*&^ed up people in this country. Everyone's a tough guy. This kid no doubt had issues, yet this genius thought to take it out on other people because I'm sure his life was so "hard". %^&* him and his stupid little suburban problems. These people are all just copy cats now. That's all we are going to see from now is just idiot copy cats who think they are making a statement when in reality they are ruining not only their own lives but the lives of their family as well. Way to go genius.
"by the mercy of God"? What nonsense!
There is ZERO evidence that any omnipresent, all-powerful but totally undetectable creature had anything to do with this. In fact, there's zero evidence that a creature like this even exists.
To say that "God" caused this man to go to the mall, kill two people and shoot this girl, and then prevented her from dying is farcical. We know that religion is a fairy tale but you don't have to make it up in our faces!
Calm down. Choose your battles. I'm an Atheist as well but to be offended by something like that is a little extreme. So she is a religious person so what, she's obviously going through a lot right now and the last thing she probably cares about is offending Atheists. Just saying.
I pray this rotting bastard is roasting in hell!! I'd kill him again myself if I could, just as an "indignity to a body" kind of thing!
I'm glad she survived. As to these shootings, I'm convinced it's the media that fuels some of it. If the media would agree to a blackout of news about the perp, never show his face or any details that might inspire sicko copycats, avoid interviewing the perp's family and friends, and stick to basic stuff about the incident (maybe substituting the phrase "another a**hat" for the perp's name), there might be less of it. As it is, I haven't set foot in a mall or theater in years. I no longer live in the city, so I get to skip using buses and subways, too. I'd just as soon shop on-line and watch movies on the tube using the "on Demand" feature, anyway.
I think the root issue is we are a society that is breeding psychopaths and sociopaths. There are lots of tools and weapons that will kill people, there are lots of things that will fuel a crime but the root cause is what needs to be focused on. We can't ban and abolish things every time something bad happens. It's not addressing a problem only reacting to it. Why is it people feel they need to shoot up a mall or a theater? What brain malfunction are they suffering from that makes them think that is a good idea? How can we recognize signs of people who think this way? These are the things that need focus, not reactionary panic that just restricts us as a society even more and legislates to the lowest common denominator.
Gun control nuts are getting crazier and crazier what they'll do.
I guess the movie theater didn't have the desired effect, so they headed to the mall.
Remember Jessica Ghawi survived a mall shooting in Toronto before becoming a victim of the Batman shooting. Interesting...
We're all pawns
Where else do mindless people flock to? Malls..movie theatres..what else? Maybe walmart.. I'm asking because I don't know.
That's where you can expect this to happen next.
"Gun control nuts"? A relative of mine was branded a "gun control nut" for suggesting that getting drunk & shooting at sounds in the woods was a bad idea.
Be careful of the company you keep.
When confronted by evil of this nature it must be stopped, dropped and eliminated. The enemy is amongst us. Each and every day we must be vigilant and aware of our surroundings. If you are not ready and prepared then you will most certainly die. Do not allow these cowards to intimidate you. Eliminate them. Keep that "piece" at the ready. Don't leave home without it!!
Great idea. The cops run into the mall, see you with your piece out, & open fire. Noone will blame them. How could they know you were an idiot?
Sounds like something right out of one of those Final Destination flicks.
Someday Karma is going to come completely around and two sick future denizens of Hell are going to show up at the same place with the same purpose and wind up taking each other out. In the grand scheme of things "No harm, no foul"!!!!
But until then they'll just keep taking their weapons and killing innocent people again and again, but hey, who cares, right? As long as you can imagine bad people also getting shot, everyone should be shot!