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Neurosurgeon Sees 'Rays of Hope' for 12-Year-Old Sophia Forchas After Annunciation Church Shooting

Her neurosurgeon reported early signs of awareness after emergency brain surgery with no prediction yet on her recovery.

Overview

  • Sophia remains in critical condition in Hennepin Healthcare’s pediatric ICU after a decompressive craniectomy that removed the left half of her skull, and officials say she is the only victim still hospitalized.
  • The bullet entered her left temporal lobe and remains lodged in the right occipital lobe, with damage to major cerebral vessels and a doctor-confirmed stroke.
  • Doctors are keeping her sedated much of the time to control brain swelling, and she has opened her eyes and shown slight movement in her right leg but is not following commands.
  • Two students were killed and 21 people were injured in the Aug. 27 attack at the Church of the Annunciation, and police say the shooter died by suicide.
  • A family GoFundMe has raised nearly $1 million for medical and counseling needs, and students staged walkouts in Minnesota and other cities calling for bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.