Spanaway mass shooting survivor shares story

Survivor recounts Spanaway house party shooting

The young survivor of a mass shooting at a house party in Spanaway, Washington is sharing her story.

TACOMA, Wash. - Among six people shot at a house party in Spanaway over the weekend, an 18-year-old survivor is speaking out about the deadly night.

In fear of retaliation, the victim spoke to FOX 13 as "Jazmine Chavez" from her hospital bed in Tacoma.

The backstory:

She was shot in the pelvis and has undergone three surgeries since she accepted a last-minute invite to attend Saturday night's party in the 17800 block of 25th Avenue Court East in Spanaway.

"I still have the bullet inside of me which they aren't able to remove currently," said Chavez.

Chavez says she was outside the home when a fight escalated into gunfire, sending partygoers like herself scrambling for cover.

"I realize that I'm hurting really bad, and I look down, and I see blood just dripping," said Chavez.

Chavez says her friends first carried her back to the house to care for her, but after police arrived, they were ordered to leave the home and lay her next to one of the dead victims.

"The cops told them to lay me down next to him which was kind of unsettling because they had nothing to cover him," said Chavez. "He wasn't wrapped up, there wasn't no tape around him or nothing. He was just there lifeless."

At one point, Chavez remembers friends praying over her as she clung to life.

"We all share a little vision as well of God reaching his hand out to us, telling us everything is going to be ok," said Chavez.

As she lie bleeding on the ground, Chavez says law enforcement on scene thought she was having her period.

"I'm like, no, I did not start my period," said Chavez. "They're like we can give you some Advil, we can put a tampon in you, and I'm like I'm shot. I'm shot. I know I'm shot. I know for a fact that I'm shot."

Chavez believes it took another 45 minutes before her friends and other deputies were able to get her into an ambulance.

Days later, she says she is still in a lot of pain.

"I have multiple tubes in me as well to just get extra blood that's inside of me and to have my normal digestive system working as well," said Chavez.

She says she doesn't want anyone to feel the pain she is experiencing and wants to share this message to stop the violence.

"Put down the guns. If you are a younger child or student or young adult watching this, guns aren't the way. There's other ways to handle it without having innocent peoples' lives involved."

Chavez says it could be weeks, possibly months, before she can leave the hospital and go back to her home in the Seattle area.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help with her recovery costs.

The Source: Information in this story is from original FOX 13 Seattle reporting and interviews.