MILTON, Wash. — A 22-year-old Pierce County woman who was shot multiple times near 15th and Alder in Milton is now out of the hospital and sharing her story of survival.
Bri Anna Orness said she was getting ready for bed at her mother’s home when bullets came through the wall on Oct. 8.
“I was trying to get ready to go to bed,” Orness said. “I turned, and I hit the floor, and my legs were up.”
Orness said she woke up several days later in a hospital bed, facing intense pain from her injuries.
“They gave me a morphine button, and I was pushing that so much because the pain is unimaginable,” she said.
Orness said one of the bullets remains lodged near her spine because doctors believe removing it would be too dangerous. She said she also fractured two ribs and suffered injuries to her diaphragm and liver.
“The bullet, it went through my diaphragm, and it nicked my liver,” Orness said.
Her recovery has not been straightforward. Orness said a buildup of fluid sent her back to the hospital after she was initially released.
During that stay, she said a health care worker recognized her from the news.
“He said, ‘You’re the girl from 15th.’ He said, ‘We saw your article, and we have been praying so hard for your recovery,’” Orness recalled.
She said the conversation brought both of them to tears.
“You know, God’s really, he’s really looking out for me,” she said.
Orness is now back home, but the effects of the shooting remain part of her daily life.
She said she needs a walker to get around and has numbness in part of one hand that doctors have told her could be permanent.
Still, she said she is leaning on her faith and family as she continues to heal.
“I’m really just grateful for them being here, and I am just ready to spend more time with them,” Orness said.
Orness’ father has set up an online fundraiser to help her get physical therapy and see a therapist to navigate emotional trauma from the shooting.