SEATTLE — A woman who was shot and injured during the mass shooting at Seattle Center shared her story of survival exclusively with KIRO 7.
She is now at home in Bellingham recovering after treatment at Harborview. She did not know whether she would make it out alive.
Victoria Yuoni traveled from Bellingham for the Bite of Seattle food festival on Sunday for a fun evening with her sister and brother-in-law.
In a matter of moments, shots were fired and her life changed forever.
Three were killed, and four were injured. Among the injured were a 2-year-old and Yuoni.
“Just destroying what was supposed to be a beautiful ending to something that was wonderful,” Yuoni said.
She was waiting in line for food when she heard the gunshots. Her leg was hit by a bullet and she ran until she collapsed from the pain. On the ground, what was happening became clear to her.
“I ran, and the leg could not carry me, and I fell,” she said. “I thought, ‘Oh, this is an active shooter and I have been hit.’”
Yunoi told KIRO 7 she lay on the ground for 40 minutes before paramedics found her. She described arriving at Harborview, waiting to find out if she would survive or lose her leg and learning she was not the only victim.
“I have never seen so many doctors or nurses waiting in the waiting area,” she said. “We just arrived and there were so many and they were waiting. I saw one other victim and another, which was a younger child being wheeled in, and then I followed up.”
She was able to keep her leg. The bullet is still in her calf, too close to a vein to be removed.
It’s a permanent reminder of the senseless act of violence, which police are describing as a shootout between rival gangs.
Yuoni doesn’t understand why street beef needed to be settled in the city’s most iconic location in front of thousands of people.
“Apart from us seven that were directly impacted, there were so many children that will carry this trauma for many many years to come,” she said.
The pain and suffering came with a bright spot, though. Bystanders stepped in, wrapping Yuoni’s leg in t-shirts to slow the bleeding and talking to her until paramedics arrived.
“I would like to say a big thank you to them, wherever they are, for their support during this terrible time for me,” Yoni said.
As bad as Yuoni’s physical injuries are, the mental impacts are much worse.
She told KIRO 7 she gets scared when her upstairs neighbor makes a loud noise and fears the idea of being in a large crowd.
On top of the trauma, she is suffering from survivor’s guilt and said her heart goes out to the loved ones of the people who were killed.