Linda Stroebel is home resting after four days in the hospital — but her situation could have been much worse after she was struck by a bullet on Pioneer Day.
While watching Grantsville City’s fireworks on Friday night at a friend’s home, Stroebel said she felt something hit her hard in the neck while sitting outside.
At first she thought it might be a rock, with three children playing in the yard, but realized the impact was more substantial when her husband, Rich, noticed there was blood on her neck.
Rich Stroebel said his wife began struggling to breathe and when she breathed, there was a gurgling sound. He used paper towels to put pressure on the wound while police and EMTs were called to the scene.
When the police arrived at the house on Christley Lane, the Grantsville City police officer said it looked like a bullet wound, Linda Stroebel said. Even after coughing up blood and being asked to get on a stretcher for transportation, she was skeptical of the nature of her injury, she said.
“I still didn’t believe [the officer],” Linda Stroebel said.
However, imaging at Mountain West Medical Center determined it was a bullet. It entered through the right side of the woman’s neck, narrowly missing her heart and major arteries, and stopped alongside her left lung. She was then lifeflighted to Intermountain Medical Center for additional treatment.
“The one doctor, he said ‘I’m the luckiest unlucky person,’” Linda Stroebel said. “I’m just thankful I survived it.”
Rich Stroebel said it’s amazing the bullet didn’t pierce a vital organ, artery or vein as it passed through her neck and chest cavity. While she’s home from the hospital, the healing process isn’t over for his wife, he said.
“It’s going to be a long healing process,” Rich Stroebel said. “There’s more visits to the doctor, visits to the hospital that we’re going to have to do to keep checking on things.”
According to Grantsville City police, the entry wound indicates the bullet was fired into the air, before dropping down and hitting Linda Stroebel. Police have received reports of tracer rounds being fired in the city limits.
Grantsville City Police Chief Kevin Turner said it’s likely someone saw or heard a gun being fired amidst the fireworks show on Friday, though the bullet could have been fired anywhere in a half-mile radius.
Rich Stroebel said police are confident the bullet is a .223 caliber round fired from a gun with a high-capacity magazine, like an AR-15 rifle.
Despite being days removed from a near-death experience, Linda Stroebel said she’s already focused on spreading awareness for gun safety. The Stroebels both identify as supporters of the Second Amendment but said owning and using a firearm is a responsibility.
“If you’re going to shoot a gun, you need to know where that bullet is going,” Linda Stroebel said.
Rich Stroebel said whoever fired their gun into the air on July 24 will have to take responsibility for their actions.
“When they do find this individual, they’ve got a mistake that they have to answer for, plain and simple,” he said.
Shannon’s Law in Arizona made it a felony to discharge firearms into the air in cities or towns, after 14-year-old Shannon Smith was killed by a bullet fired into the air nearly a mile away. Now the Stroebels are pushing for similar legislation in Utah and have reached out to Rep. Merrill Nelson, R-Grantsville.
Linda Stroebel said if she had been sitting differently in her chair or the bullet had struck one of the children or other attendees of the Pioneer Day party, it could have had tragic results. Anyone using a gun should be properly educated in how to safely fire and secure the firearm, she said.
“There’s a reason I’m still here and it’s like, so I can get the word out, really pushing the safety,” Linda Stroebel said. “I think that’s the big thing right now.”
Anyone with information about the shooting should contact the Grantsville City Police Department at 435-884-6881 or Tooele County Dispatch at 435-882-5600. Grantsville City is offering up to a $1,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the shooter.