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Sophia Forchas, 12, Returns Home as Last Hospitalized Annunciation Shooting Survivor

After nearly two months of intensive treatment for a bullet wound to the brain, her care shifts to outpatient therapy.

Overview

  • Escorted in a white limousine with a police motorcade, she visited Hennepin Healthcare to thank staff and stopped at her school before arriving home.
  • Doctors said a bullet lodged in her brain caused severe damage, requiring removal of part of her skull and a medically induced coma under neurosurgeon Dr. Walt Galicich.
  • Her family reports steady gains, including walking and improving speech, with a long recovery anticipated through ongoing outpatient rehabilitation.
  • The Aug. 27 church shooting during a school Mass killed students Fletcher Merkel, 8, and Harper Moyski, 10, and injured many others; the shooter, Robin (Robert) Westman, died by suicide at the scene.
  • Community support has surged, with a verified GoFundMe surpassing $1.1 million, as she returns home just before her 13th birthday.