In a coma and on a
respirator, South Lake Tahoe resident
Eric Domingo made it through the crucial
first 24 hours in the hospital after
being shot in the face Saturday morning.
The single bullet from a 9 mm
semiautomatic pistol hit the 2005 South
Tahoe High School graduate below the eye
and ricocheted in his head before
exiting through the back of his neck,
his family told the Tribune on Sunday.
Early Saturday evening, doctors told the
family that it didn't appear as though
the bullet pierced the brain. They were
relieved.
But later Saturday night, a surgeon at
Renown Medical Center in Reno told the
family that after reviewing an MRI, it
appeared the brain stem had been
damaged, and the possibility exists that
Domingo suffered debilitating injuries.
"I'm a Christian, and I know in my heart
he will recover," his mother, Judy
Domingo, said Sunday morning. "I have to
have some kind of faith that God is not
ready for my son yet; he's not ready to
take him. He's too young. He's a
fighter."
Also factored into Eric Domingo's
condition was an extreme loss of blood.
Pints of blood were given to him in a
transfusion because the bullet also had
damaged a major artery, possibly
severing it, family members said.
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What led to the
shooting shortly before 8 a.m. Saturday
remained under investigation Sunday. The
shooting took place at a home on
Tamarack Avenue, where Domingo and his
alleged assailant were guests, police
said.
A crime unit from
the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office
was dispatched to the scene and was
conducting the investigation alongside
South Lake Tahoe police.
What is known is that Casey
Curcie-Crummett, 20, of South Lake Tahoe
was arrested on suspicion of assault
with a firearm in connection with
Domingo's shooting. He was released on
$30,000 bail, jail officials said.
Friends at the scene of the shooting on
Tamarack Avenue took Domingo to the
South Lake Tahoe Fire Station at Ski Run
Boulevard and Pioneer Trail after he was
shot.
As police arrived, they were told by the
friends who delivered Domingo to the
fire department that the shooting was
"accidental."
Police had not yet
determined whether or not they
considered the shooting accidental.
"We're still moving forward on our
investigation. There are some details
that are not confirmed," South Lake
Tahoe Police Lt. Martin Hale said
Saturday.
The family of Curcie-Crummett, contacted
by the Tribune on Sunday, declined to
comment on the matter after being
advised by an attorney.
Meanwhile, word has spread around the
community about Domingo's condition,
especially among his friends. Domingo
had played football at STHS. He was
considered an all-star and made quite a
name for himself in athletics, according
to his family.
Since graduating,
Domingo has worked in South Lake Tahoe,
at Meeks and as of late as a house
painter. His mother described him as
shy, quiet, meticulous and dapper. You
never would see a hair out of place on
his head, she said.
"He's always been like that. He keeps
himself up. He's athletic and is always
very nice to people. That's why I don't
understand why this had to happen. He's
a good kid," she said.
Domingo's sister, Heather Gleaton, said
her brother doesn't have medical
insurance and that the family is working
to put some kind of bank account fund
into action. She said calls from
friends, family and members of the STHS
football team keep coming to the family.
"You see this stuff on TV and think it
would never happen to your family," his
sister said. "I know he will pull
through. I know he will," she said.
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