The families of students injured in Tuesday’s shooting at Deer Creek Middle School offered brief updates today on the two young friends’ condition.
Matthew Thieu’s mother Pattie issued a statement midday thanking the community for the support offered her critically injured 14-year-old son, who was recovering from a fractured rib and lung injury at Children’s Hospital and doing well.
She asked for privacy so the family could fully devote itself to Matthew’s recovery.
“We appreciate the care he is receiving at The Children’s Hospital and he is God’s hands,” she said in the statement released by the hospital.
Reagan Weber, 13, whose right arm was injured by bullet fragments rather than a direct hit, was doing fine, her father said.
“She’s got a big bandage on her arm, but no permanent damage,” Craig Weber said.
The family will be seeing a specialist about whether to remove the fragments that exploded into her arm after a bullet struck something near her.
Weber said he was mindful that his shy daughter’s close friend Matt is in far more serious condition.
The Webers were also learning what happens the day after a school shooting — interviews with sheriff’s department officials, media barrage and a trip to the airport to pick up mom, who had been visiting family out of town.
“There is so much commotion,” Craig Weber said. “We really just want to give her (Reagan) a day to take it all in.”
Craig Weber said he was at work meeting Tuesday when he started receiving repeated calls from his wife, his older daughter and friends. Eventually, Craig Weber learned that his daughter Reagan had been shot.
He frantically called the school, but they didn’t know anything about Reagan’s condtion.
Finally, his older daughter called again and said Reagan had called and text messaged from the back of the ambulance.
He said he was immediately relieved. “If she was on the phone in the ambulance, she was OK.”
Electa Draper: 303-954-1276 or edraper@denverpost.com
