Angela Gabriel’s life was forever changed on the morning of February 22. At around 7:45 a.m. Gabriel was sitting in the bathtub and arguing with her boyfriend Carl Thompson Jr.
The argument came to a head when Thompson shot at Gabriel, 41, 9-10 times in the chest, back and right arm.
Afterward, Thompson called the police to the scene where a child was present. Thompson was arrested for attempted second-degree murder and illegal use of a weapon. When she arrived at the hospital, doctors pronounced her paralyzed from the waist down.
When WBRZ, spoke to Gabriel’s family, her mother, Lois Clark, said, “If I could talk to him [Thompson] I would want to know why he did this.”
Clark has known their daughter’s boyfriend for decades now, a relationship stemming as far back as when he was a little boy. “I don’t know when I think of Carl I just can’t get past him being that little boy that I used to teach in preschool.”
Still, Clark said she and other family members were worried about Gabriel and her relationship with Thompson before the shooting. “I would tell her, Angie that’s a time bomb waiting to go off. I said it happens every day.”
Now, that they’re faced with this new reality, the family says they’re determined to move forward.
“If that’s what the Lord wants then we’re just going to pull together and we’ll just have to revamp our lives to fit her life,” Clark said.
Angela’s parents have faith that their daughter will make it through this.
“If you put a mountain in her path she’s going to find a way to either dig through it or go around it,” Clark said.
Thankfully, Angela won’t have to go through or around this mountain alone. Her friends and family members started a YouCaring fundraiser site to help her cover the medical bills as well as living expenses for her four children.
The site says that Gabriel is a single mother to four children, a 21, 9, 6 and 18-month-old with Down Syndrome.
The YouCaring site explained Angela’s mental state and the need for the money.
“She’s in good spirits and feels blessed to be loved by so many people. She is still in a lot of pain yet her focus is on her children and all of their futures. Her road to recovery will be a long and arduous one and the bills are already coming. Her recovery and rehabilitation will span years. She will have to learn to function in a whole new manner and as a new person.
When we tell you she’s an amazing and strong woman – that is an understatement! When Angela was first shot, her mindset and thoughts were that she had to stay alive! She told herself to keep breathing and that she had to live for her kids.
Angela desperately needs our help! We want to ask each of you to pray and search your heart and help us support her. As you know if a Realtor doesn’t work, they do not get paid. We would love for each person to donate anything you can immediate to help with her current bills and living expenses! If you can only give $5, everything counts! Let’s pull together as a local community and help her as much as we possibly can!”
If you want to donate to Angela’s treatment and her children, you can do so here.
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