Oregon Mall Shooting Update: Teen victim Kristina Shevchenko thought gun was fake until she was shot, report says

(CBS) - A teenager who was shot in the torso during the Dec. 11 shooting inside an Oregon mall said she caught a quick glimpse of the gunman and intially thought it was a prank. She didn't realize the situation was real until the gunman started shooting in her direction, CBS affiliate KOIN reports.

Kristina Shevchenko, 15, has been recovering at home since Dec. 18, after spending a week at OHSU hospital where doctors removed bullet fragments from her lung and liver, according to KOIN.

She said Saturday she doesn't have much to say to Jacob Roberts, the 22-year-old alleged gunman who killed two other victims before killing himself.

"He might have had a hard life," Kristina said. "I don't know what his life was like or his reasons for doing what he did, so I can't exactly blame him."

Kristina said she was taking a shortcut through Clackamas Town Center on her way home from school with her best friend when she saw Roberts upstairs on the second floor, the station reports. She said she followed her best friend behind a pillar to hide after she got shot. This is where a woman nearby started to give her medical help.

The teen then followed employees outside, where she received help from an officer, KOIN reports. The police initially didn't believe she was injured until she showed them the holes in her sweater.

"I did feel a huge amount of pressure and pain," Kristina said. "You can't describe what it feels like."

Kristina and her family said they are grateful to everyone who has prayed for her since the shooting, which claimed the lives of 45-year-old Steve Forsyth and 54-year-old Cindy Yuille. Kristina's father, Veniamim Shevchenko, said having his daughter home is the best Christmas present he could ask for.

"I know that God has his eyes on us. He has angels on everybody's shoulders and he is especially watching over my family," Kristina said.

Complete coverage of the Oregon Mall Shooting on Crimesider