Even though Evelin Matamoros was shot point blank in the face, her doctors say they’re hoping she will make a full recovery.
”She had a gunshot wound on the left side of her face, located right here underneath her eye, in the bone in the cheek bone right here,” Dr. Gabriel Ruiz of Jackson Memorial Hospital’s Ryder Trauma Center said at a news conference Tuesday.
Matamoros was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after she was shot during an armed robbery outside Cafe Ruyi at 5300 NW 7th Ave. last Thursday. Police said she handed over her purse to Kamiah Lanier, 20, who shot her in the face anyway before he fled the scene.
Jackson officials released X-rays that were taken of Matamoros on Tuesday. Doctors said that after the bullet entered through her cheekbone, it went into her mouth, continued through her body and into the upper part of her neck.
“She was fortunate in this case that her airway was not compromised and there was no major bleeding due to her injuries,” Ruiz said.
Many organs could have been damaged, doctors said.
“I was not able to recover the bullet due to the location. Sometimes it’s more dangerous to actually pursue the subjects,” Ruiz said.
Doctors said they are not sure how long Matamoros will remain in the hospital, but they are hoping she will have a short stay and a full recovery.
Lanier faces charges of attempted murder, armed robbery with a firearm, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and using a firearm during the commission of a felony, but he denied having anything to do with the robbery or shooting, an arrest affidavit said.
However, police found a black Iver Johnson firearm in Lanier's possession, according to the affidavit.
Lanier was being held without bond Tuesday, online jail records said. His defense attorney is Elizabeth Spellman, who could not be reached for comment Tuesday evening.
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Photo Credit: Courtesy Jackson Health System