There's a possibility that a Valley teenager will never walk again after she was shot at a house party in late February.
Desiree Ortiz, 16, was at a party in Laveen when an altercation broke out and she was shot in the back, her father, Ben Ortiz, told ABC15.
"She didn't realize what was really going on until she pulled her hand away from her wound and looked at her blood on her hand," Ben said.
Desiree wasn't involved in the fight between the two individuals, but instead she was caught in the crossfire.
Worst yet, she wasn't even supposed to be there.
The teen snuck out of her mother's house to attend the party after her mother warned her not to go, Ortiz explained.
Police are continuing to search for the shooters, officials said.
A GoFundMe page was created to go towards "preparing her home."
According to an update posted to the page earlier this week, Desiree continues to struggle with breathing problems but the breathing tubes were recently removed.
The page also said that it could be a few months before she's out of the hospital.
Desiree’s prognosis also means that her father’s home will likely need upgrades to allow her to move around the home, which would mean to move out of subsidized housing, Ben said.
If you'd like to donate to the family's expenses, click here.
