A 12-year-old girl who was shot in the head during an attack on a Minneapolis church in August has been released from hospital and returned home.
Sophia Forchas was among the most seriously injured survivors of the shooting at the Catholic Church of the Annunciation. On 27th August, 23-year-old Robin Westman began firing into the church, injuring 30 people and killing two children: eight-year-old Fletcher Merkel and 10-year-old Harper Moyski.
Westman died at the scene from self-inflicted wounds. Investigators say he was “obsessed with the idea of killing children”.
During the attack, Forchas was shot in the head and a bullet became lodged in her brain. She underwent major surgery, including the removal of the left half of her skull, and at times doctors feared she would not survive.
When she returned home on Thursday, she was greeted with cheers and paraded around her town in a stretch limousine, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara described her return as “nothing short of a miracle”.
Her parents, Amy and Tom Forchas, said in a statement it was “one of the most extraordinary days of our lives”.
Sophia will continue to need medical support for her speech and mobility, but is making progress.
Twelve-year-old Lydia Kaiser, another victim of the shooting, had a similar welcome home last week as she returned to school. A bullet fragment lodged in her head while she was protecting a younger student, and she has undergone surgery to relieve pressure.
Writing on a GoFundMe page set up for her, Lydia said: “It’s so hard to believe I actually got shot, and other kids did too. It makes me angry but I don’t want to let the shooter win. This is my last year at Annunciation. I’ve been going there my whole life and it’s like my home and my family.”
She also thanked people for their prayers.