By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-11-26 02:46:42 | Updated at 2024-11-26 04:49:38
2 hours ago
A teenager who went out to celebrate her 16th birthday with friends sent her mother a chilling text just hours later: 'I got shot. Mama. Plz. Help me.'
Naomi Briggs is now fighting for her life in an Oregon hospital after becoming the victim of a tragic shooting in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Her mother, Drea Briggs, was horrified to receive the chilling text and rushed to the hospital where her daughter was receiving life-saving treatment.
'If she hadn’t made it to the hospital, she wouldn’t have survived,' Drea Briggs told The Oregonian. 'She lost so much blood.”
The sequence of events that led to the tragedy began innocently enough. On Wednesday evening, Naomi went out with her friends around 9:30pm.
At some point during the night, she texted her mother, Drea Briggs, asking for gas money to get back home to Gresham, but she later returned the cash saying she had found a ride.
But by 5am Naomi was still not home. Her mother was suddenly jolted awake by her daughter's desperate text message and rushed to OHSU Hospital in Portland, to where Naomi had been taken by ambulance.
By the time Drea arrived on the scene at 6am, her daughter was in critical condition, clinging to life having been struck in the stomach by a bullet at close range in the town of Beaverton, a leafy Portland suburb.
Naomi Briggs,16, had been out with her friends celebrating her birthday last week and now fighting for her life in an Oregon hospital after she was shot. Pictured alongside her mom, Drea
The first Naomi's family heard of the terrifying ordeal was after her mother, Drea Briggs, received a chilling text with a plea no parent should ever have to receive
Naomi Briggs has been through four surgeries in three days and was due a fifth on Monday
The shooting has left Naomi in intensive care.
'She's hooked up to machines, and her whole abdomen is still open,' the mom said.
'The doctor did tell me there was a chance she might not make it and so it's just been a struggle,' Drea added..
Naomi has since undergone four surgeries to repair the extensive internal damage caused by the bullet, with a fifth surgery scheduled for this week.
Doctors say her recovery will be a long and arduous journey and she remains in critical condition as she fights to recover from catastrophic injuries.
Authorities have arrested 18-year-old Sky Korbut in connection with the shooting.
He faces charges of third-degree assault and unlawful use of a weapon with his bail set at $10,000.
Korbut is alleged to have purchased the firearm used in the shooting on the street in Portland's Old Town Chinatown area.
Korbut is said to have paid $650 for the weapon after failing to pass a background check to purchase a shotgun.
Authorities have arrested 18-year-old Sky Korbut in connection with the shooting. He has claimed the gun went off accidentally
The incident began innocently enough when on, Wednesday Naomi went out with her friends around 9:30pm
At one stage Naomi asked her mother for some money for gas but returned it after finding a ride home
Korbut had been giving Naomi a ride home when his gun went off.
Mom, Drea, is now at her daughter's bedside and grappling with the reality of her child's trauma.
'I kind of do feel like it's a nightmare…I'm still trying to process it. I'm still in shock. I never thought this would happen ever,' she said to KGW 8.
'She's only 16 years old, and now her whole life has changed forever,' she said. 'This never should have happened. Know who your kids are hanging around. This is the tragedy of guns.'
Naomi is now at the Oregon Health & Science University Hospital in Portland
Mom, Drea, is now at her daughter's bedside grappling with the reality of her child's trauma
Naomi was described as a typical teenager who loves her friends, animals, and children, now faces years of recovery
Naomi, described as a typical teenager who loves her friends, animals, and children, now faces years of recovery.
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to support her medical expenses and rehabilitation.
'The support we've received is overwhelming,' Drea said. 'It's what's keeping me strong for her.
'Hold onto your kids, you never know like what's going to happen,' Drea said.
