A Nanaimo woman is recovering from a shotgun wound to the face and hand, sustained while saving a friend’s life.
RCMP got a call of a shot fired early Saturday morning, at a home on the north end.
They say a male with a shotgun was suffering a mental health crisis.
He fled after discharging the firearm, but was apprehended later, under the mental health act. Corporal Gary O’Brien says the man is receiving the help he needs.
O’Brien says it’s understandable that the woman intervened, but she was inches from losing her life. As it is, he says, she has life-altering injuries.
A go-fund me campaign says doctors worked to save the woman’s eye and thumb. It also says a portion of the funds raised on the page will go to organizations that support people with mental health challenges. It says the woman and her partner have no ill will towards the man, who they say was suffering in silence.
Constable O’Brien is also cautioning the public to be responsible in social media posts.
During the incident, there were social media postings about an active shooter being at large in the area. O’Brien says that was not true, and caused a significant amount of unnecessary distress and concern.
