Teenager sent mom chilling text after night out: ‘I got shot. Mama. Plz. Help me’
Sky Alexander Douglas Korbut, 18, was arrested and charged with assault in the third degree as well as unlawful possession of a firearm, court documents say
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A teenager who was shot in Washington County, Oregon, sent her mom a chilling message after being critically injured: “I got shot. Mama. Plz. Help me.”
Naomi Briggs, 16, was in a friend’s bedroom when her pal accidentally shot her in the stomach at roughly 5 a.m. on Thursday, according to court documents obtained by KATU2. The girl’s 18-year-old friend, Sky Alexander Douglas Korbut, was arrested and charged with assault in the third degree as well as unlawful possession of a firearm.
The pair were reportedly hanging out at Korbut’s house in the early hours of Thursday morning after Korbut picked up the teen from an evening out with friends.
Korbut told police that he thought his gun’s magazine had been removed when he went to move it from the dog kennel it had been resting on. He went on to claim that he waved the gun toward his friend, and that it “somehow” went off and hit her as she was sitting on his bed, according to KATU2.
That’s when Briggs texted her mother a series of troubling text messages.
“I woke up to that text message saying that she had been shot but her phone was off,” the girl’s mom, Andrea Briggs, told KGW.
“The doctor did tell me there was a chance she might not make it and so it’s just been a struggle.”
She added: “Hold onto your kids, you never know like what’s going to happen.”
The gun, a Smith & Wesson pistol, was allegedly purchased from someone “on the street” for $650 in Portland’s Chinatown, as Korbut had already failed a background check when trying to buy a shotgun for home defense, according to court documents.
Korbut allegedly admitted to a 911 dispatcher that he shot Briggs. First responders found her with a single bullet hole in her stomach.
The young woman — who only just celebrated her 16th birthday — has needed four surgeries since the incident and remains in the intensive care unit at Oregon Health & Science University Hospital, according to Oregon Live.
The single bullet struck the young girl’s “intestines, gallbladder, liver, pancreas, and IVC vein” and she needed at least 20 liters of blood transferred for the “severe” injuries, reported KATU2.
Her family has launched a GoFundMe fundraiser page to help with the teen’s spiralling medical costs as she continues her recovery.
On the donation page, Briggs was described as being “too young [and], full of life for something like this to happen”.
Korbut has been released from jail and is scheduled to appear in court on December 2.
The Independent contacted Beaverton Police, the Oregon Justice Department, and Washington County Jail for more information on the case.