by Mike Andrew - SGN Staff Writer

Kristene Chapa, one of the victims of a June 22 shooting near Corpus Christi, Texas, was discharged from Christus Spohn Memorial Hospital on July 16. Police also released a new suspect sketch based on information she gave them.

Chapa was shot in the head in the attack, and will now enter a rehab facility. Her girlfriend, Mollie Olgin, was shot in the neck and died at the scene.

Chapa's brother, Hilario Chapa, told NBC Latino radio that doctors were still evaluating his sister and are working on a timetable for her therapy.

'She's doing awesome,' he said. 'One of the last days at the hospital her friends were able to come and see her and she lit up.

'She's in neurological rehab, getting her speech and her way of thinking better. She also is in physical therapy to help strengthen her left side, and mental therapy as well.'

Hilario told reporters he dreaded telling Kristene the news their family had been holding back - that Mollie was dead.

'She didn't know about Mollie for the longest time, but we finally decided to tell her,' he says, adding that law enforcement officials were present to help with the delicate situation, along with the Olgin family.

'With that support group we passed the info to my little sister. She was brokenhearted, very upset,' Hilario said.

'They told us you have to let her cry. I didn't want to tell her not to cry. But Mollie's father [Mario] is a very good man, considering he lost his daughter. He comes to visit her and when he does she gets emotional but he is supporting her. He wants to go visit her in rehab.'

The shooting occurred on June 22 at Violet Andrews Park in Portland, Texas, a suburb of Corpus Christi. Although Chapa survived, she was unable to speak with police until early this month, when she supplied information that enabled police to issue a sketch and description of a suspect.

Portland police released a statement on July 14 to update the status of the investigation. In their statement, they reveled for the first time that Chapa was the 'eyewitness' who previously had helped with the initial sketch.

As her condition improved, police said, she indicated a desire to revisit the drawing. The same forensic artist worked with her again on July 13, resulting in the updated sketch.

'It is unusual to go back and refine a suspect drawing,' said Portland Police Chief Randy Wright.

'But in this case, our eyewitness sustained a brain injury that initially affected her ability to communicate effectively. The good news is she has made exceptional progress. Her sight and speech have improved and she can now interact with the artist much better.'

Police have previously said they have no evidence to indicate the attack was a hate crime but have not ruled it out.

 Share on Facebook

Share on MySpace!

    Share on Delicious

Share on StumbleUpon!