14-year-old who survived Kalamazoo shooting suffers setback

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- A 14-year-old girl who was wounded when authorities say an Uber driver opened fire in the Kalamazoo, Michigan area has suffered a minor setback, her father said Monday.

Gene Kopf spoke about his daughter, Abigail, during a Gun Safety Week event in Ann Arbor. Abigail was shot in the head during the Feb. 20 shooting rampage that also killed six people and injured a woman.

"She's had a small setback because of an infection," her father said. "She's doing as well as she can, but there are a lot of complications and it's a long road to recovery."

Abigail's heart beat stopped during initial attempts to save her life, but it was restored. An organ donation service was contacted with her parents' permission, though she was never declared medically brain dead.

Her parents were making arrangements to donate her organs when the girl squeezed her mother's hand.

Abigail's mother told CBS affiliate WWMT in February that the sensation of having her hand squeezed was "breathtaking."

"They then called in the doctor and he asked her a question and wanted a thumbs-up in response," state police said. "And she gave him two thumbs up. It's a glimmer of hope in this otherwise tragic situation."

Abigail came home last week from her hospital stay. Her father said her prognosis is uncertain.

"She's on antibiotics," Kopf said. "The infection caused them to remove the plate that replaced the missing portion of her skull, so she's without a portion of her skull right now. And it will be that way for several months. It's very painful for her. She has intense headaches and, of course, she has an infection, which is high risk."

Kopf said he's uncomfortable discussing gun control issues, but he feels the need to do so in the aftermath of his daughter's shooting. He said he's also discussed it with his daughter.

"We don't have it too often, but she is worried that there are just too many guns out there," Kopf said. "It's too easy for people to cause a shooting."

Kopf said he sees both sides of the issue.

"I'm not one of those who says, 'Let's ban all guns,'" he said. "I do hunt, but that doesn't mean that we can't address the problem and that it's a de-regulated free-for-all, either."

Uber driver Jason Dalton is charged with murder and attempted murder in the apparently random attacks.

The Battle Creek Community Foundation is accepting donations to help the Kopf family cover medical expenses.