'I am in a lot of pain': Lakewood, WA mass shooting survivors being released from hospitals
The Brief
Seven people were hospitalized after a mass shooting at Harry Todd Park, believed to have stemmed from a fight between two groups.
Victims Jaden Larson and Amber Ross are recovering from gunshot wounds and have set up GoFundMe pages to cover medical expenses.
Police continue to investigate the incident, while Ross calls for the shooters to be caught and change their ways.
PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. - As police continue to investigate a mass shooting at Harry Todd Park that sent seven people to nearby hospitals last week, victims are now being released.
The backstory
19-year-old Jaden Larson says he was standing in line waiting for ice cream when he heard gunshots.
"The girl and the kid that was in front of me, I pushed them out the way behind the ice cream truck and then I got shot in my arm," said Larson.
Larson is a carpenter and says he will be out of work for up to a year as he recovers.
"They found out there's more bones broken in my elbow, like my elbow exploded, so they got to do another surgery," said Larson.
He has set up this GoFundMe to help with his mounting medical bills.
Lakewood Police believe the shooting happened after a fight between two groups at the park.
Amber Ross says her 13-year-old daughter saw the escalation and warned her seconds before guns were fired.
"That was just her gut instinct saying, and she was luckily able to get into the car," said Ross. "My youngest daughter was not struck, although in my arms."
Ross was shot in both her legs in front of her 13-year-old and three-year-old daughters.
The mother of three says her 13-year-old and a kind stranger who may have had a military background, used clothing to put tourniquets on her legs.
"From what the officers told me when they did get to me, if it wasn't for them putting tourniquets on my legs, I probably wouldn't have made it," said Ross.
Ross says her daughters are now in therapy, but she is also out of work, and has set up this GoFundMe to help her as she heals.
These days, Ross says she does a lot of praying, not just for those innocently caught in the crossfire like her family, but also for those who caused the chaos.
"What they're doing is just not ok," said Ross. "I feel like they need to be caught, they need to be sat down and they need to turn their life over to the Lord and against their wicked ways and change their lives completely."
The Source
Information in this story came from GoFundMe and original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.
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