One of the victims of the shooting, that happened before the Gun and Knife show at the MPEC, is seeing her medical bills mount, and has no idea when she will be able to return to work.

Police say the accidental discharge of a 12-gauge shot gun loaded with bird shot happened just before 9 Saturday morning, and remains under investigation.

They say the gun was being handled by a vendor when it went off and show officials say it should not have been loaded.

Dede King headed to work at the MPEC Saturday morning just as she’s done for 14 years. She never expected what happened next.

“All of a sudden I heard a very loud boom,” said King.

She said she then realized one of her co-workers had been shot. And she said she yelled for everyone to get on the ground.

“I tried to get to Jimmy, because he was bleeding so bad and he was laying on his stomach,” King said. “I couldn’t tell if he was dead or alive. All of a sudden I couldn’t get to him. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t move. And I realize I had been shot. I heard someone say she’s bleeding from the neck.”

King was shot in the arm, hand, and neck. One pellet also hit the top of her lung and is now lodged in her upper back. King said none of the pellets were removed from her body.

She said the shooting has done more than taken a toll on her health.

“I’m having nightmares. I try to go to sleep and I hear gunshots constantly.”

King said although show organizers have reported all the victims were just fine, she said that was certainly not the case, as she was fighting for her life.

And she and her family are disappointed they have yet to hear from anyone.

“Far as gun show wise, the people that are reliable for this happening, we haven’t heard anything,” said King’s daughter Kayla Carraway. “And we don’t even know who is at fault. What happened? No one has followed up, or nothing. And they have all of our phone numbers.”

King said she is thankful to be alive, but knows her life has been changed forever.

“My whole life at this moment, has been taken away from me,” King said. “My health will never be the same.”

King has a full time job at the Allred Prison Medical Department and is unable to return to work, and is now struggling to pay for medical expenses.



Her family has set up a GoFundMe page.

Police tell us once their investigation is complete, it will go over to the DA’s office to see if charges will be filed on the vendor who brought the loaded gun to the show.