‘I want to own it so I can move on,’ says Lake City shooting survivor
Mar 28, 2019, 3:49 PM
(Press pool)
(Press pool)
A tragic shooting and carjacking claimed the lives of two victims Wednesday afternoon, and injured two others. One survivor was a King County Metro bus driver, who managed to get his 12 passengers to safety, after a man opened fire in the middle of the street near 120th and Sand Point Way Northeast.
RELATED: Metro bus driver called a hero after Lake City shooting
The other injured victim was 56-year-old Laurelhurst Elementary School teacher, Deborah Judd, who wants her students and family to know that she’s alright.
“I didn’t want to just be the woman who got shot, because there’s a real person that got shot, and they have real family — I don’t want it to be my identity for the rest of my life,” she told a press pool in a Thursday interview from her hospital bed. “But right now, I want to own it so that I can move on, and I want my kids to know it’s okay.”
Judd has been teaching for 30 years, and currently is responsible for second graders at Laurelhurst. She spoke of her biggest concern shortly after being shot: Her students.
“I love my second graders and I’m worried about them,” she said. “In the ambulance, I said ‘you need to get a substitute for tomorrow.’ I’m worried about them, because we do practice all those drills, and it’s very traumatic for all of us.”
“I want to make sure the kids know I’m okay, I’ll be back soon, and I love them,” she added.
Despite the trauma she endured barely 24 hours ago, she was still in good spirits, providing some light-hearted — and useful — advice for anyone in an emergency situation.
“I just want to give everyone some advice: They cant find your family members if you don’t know the phone numbers — you need to stitch them in your underwear or something,” she joked.
Judd is currently recovering from her injuries — along with bus driver Eric Stark — at Harborview Medical Center, and is in satisfactory condition.
