Victim of San Diego pool party rampage returns home to metro Detroit

ROMULUS, Mich. (WJBK) - Nearly a month ago, a recent MSU graduate was shot during a rampage at a pool party in San Diego. After intensive rehabilitation, Charnee James returned home and was reunited with her family Wednesday evening after living a nightmare.

Fox 2's Randy Wimbley was at Metro airport for the emotional reunion with her family.

The 24-year-old is back in her family's loving embrace after experiencing a living nightmare.

"It was unreal definitely. It didn't seem real," she says.

The Ann Arbor native and MSU graduate was one of eight people shot when Peter Selis opened fire on a pool party at an apartment complex in San Diego. James, 24,  was struck in both calves.

"I was on the ground. My cousin gave me the courage. [The shooter] was reloading and she was like, 'You have to get up and run, like, you gotta, I need you to try.'" She did and eventually got to safety. She then spent nearly a month in the hospital learning how to walk again.

"It was hard. Just to see your child laying in a hospital bed and you can't take the pain away," says Charnee's mother, Stacy Gullatt.

Charnee says she wants to keep others from going through something similar, and plans to raise awareness about gun violence. She's also pursuing a career as a fashion stylist - a career that will take her back to California.

"This isn't going to stop my life. I should say, it definitely made me put things in perspective and stuff like that but I'm still going to do all the things I want to do," she says.

She will continue her road to recovery in metro Detroit. She's looking at roughly three months of rehab and it could be a year before she fully recovers.

The family has set up a GoFund me page to help with her medical costs. If you would like to donate, you can do so by clicking here.