OKC Woman Shot, Paralyzed By Would-Be Robber Speaks Out

A woman who was shot and left paralyzed by a would-be robber is speaking out.

Right now, Oklahoma City police continue looking for the gunman and the men who were with him during the hold-up.

The shooting itself took place in broad daylight on December 5. And even though neighbors saw the van the men took off in, police have still not made any arrests.

Now Cheryl Ruaylarp hopes someone will turn them in, so they can't hurt anyone else.

"I was hurt pretty bad," said Ruaylarp during a news conference on Monday. "But I think they may kill someone."

Ruaylarp is stuck in a CTO brace and a wheel chair. Her life is forever changed, all because someone tried to rob her and her husband outside their home on S.W. 65th St.

Ruaylarp says the two of them had just been to the store and were pulling into their driveway when they were attacked.

"And all of the sudden a man came out of nowhere and started beating on my windows saying ‘give me your purse, give me your wallet,' which I would have done," Ruaylarp said.

Ruaylarp says the gunman became even more violent, trying to bash out the windows with his gun and his fists. She says the man even pulled the trigger twice, but the gun failed to go off, until his third attempt.

"And I thought my God! What am I going to do?" remembered Ruaylarp. "And so I pulled forward into the garage, and I thought well maybe I can pull down the garage door real fast with the opener. And then he shot me!"

The bullet hit her back, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. Ruaylarp says the bullet is still near her spine, and that doctors were too afraid to take it out for fear it would cause even more damage. She says trying to drive into the garage may have actually saved her life and her husband's life too.

"That's the only thing I knew to do," said Ruaylarp. "I knew he was going to kill us both!"

Now Ruaylarp is left wondering how she is going to pay for all the medical care she needs, all because of one person's thoughtless, selfish actions.

"I don't know how I'm going to do it," said Ruaylarp. "I just don't have anything."

A fund has been established at MidFirst Bank so you can make donations to any MidFirst branch to help Ruaylarp pay for those medical costs.

The man who shot Ruaylarp is still on the loose. If you have any information, you are urged to call Crime Stoppers at (405)-235-7300. There is a reward.