Raleigh woman recovering, arrest made in San Diego shooting

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- The family of Lane Sheer says she's out of the ICU at a California hospital and is closer to coming back home to Raleigh after a shooting in San Diego on June 24.

"She's making great progress," Lucinda Sheer, Lane's mother, said on Tuesday. "We really don't have any idea when we're going to be able to get her home yet, but physically, they tell us that she is able to do it. So that's extremely good news."

Sheer, who's an employee at the Preiss Company and was in town for a business conference, was struck on that Friday night when a fight between two groups escalated to gunfire. Another employee, Toni Yrlas, was shot in the hand and was recovering at home, according to the Preiss Company. Both women were in the Gaslamp Quarter downtown after the conference hosted by the National Apartments Association ended.

"The biggest thing that happened to her is to do with her spine," Sheer said. "We're thankful that it didn't hit her intestines, didn't hit her stomach ... there was so much blood that they thought that it was very possible that a lot of damage was done. But thankfully, it was not."

Sheer's update came as the San Diego Police made an arrest in the shooting.

"To our knowledge, what we've been able to find out here, Lane is the first bystander that has been hurt by gang violence here," Sheer said.

Johnza Watson, 25, was arrested Friday after he was identified as the suspected shooter.

"The gun did not do this to my daughter, the shooter did," Sheer said. "He may not have meant to hit her, but his carelessness and his evilness in wanting to hurt someone else. That's who's responsible."

Sheer said although doctors say Lane made a lot of progress, she'll need to spend at least six hours a day being helped with physical therapy.

At least $188,000 was raised in fundraising efforts led by another employee at the Preiss Company.

"They have all been phenomenal," Sheer said. "The generosity that people have shown is just astounding, and the things that they have said, we've always known she's a really special person, but a lot of other people think so too."