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Celia Gonzalez: Salvador Ramos' grandmom leaves hospital following reports she may never speak

After the Robb Elementary School massacre, a neighbor of Salvador Ramos said he saw the gunman's grandmom run out of her home covered in blood after being shot by him

Uvalde shooter Salvador Ramos' grandmother has reportedly returned from the hospital over a month after the gunman brutally shot her in the face. Post shooting his grandmother, Ramos drove to Robb Elementary School and gunned down 19 children and two teachers. 

Celia Gonzalez, 66, was being treated at University Health in San Antonio after the shooting. She was discharged this week, Fox News reported. University Health tweeted on June 28, "We are pleased to share some good news related to last month’s tragic shooting in Uvalde: The 66-year-old woman has been discharged, and the 10-year-old girl has been upgraded to good condition."

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After the shooting, relative had previously told New York Post that Gonzalez may never be able to speak again. “The bullet went into Sally’s jaw just next to her mouth and shattered all her teeth,” said Jason Ybarra, a second cousin of Celia “Sally” Martinez Gonzalez. “If the bullet was an inch in another direction, it would have blown her head off."

While at the hospital, Gonzalez communicated by writing. She had to undergo numerous surgeries. “She had a notebook where she writes what she’s trying to say, but when we can’t make it out, she gets frustrated,” Rolando Reyes, her husband, had said at the time. 

After the massacre, a neighbor of Ramos said that he saw the gunman's grandmother run out of her home covered in blood after being shot by him. Speaking with the Daily Mail, the neighbor, Gilberto Gallegos, 82, said that he was gardening with his wife Maria, 76, in their front yard when they heard gunshots from Gonzalez' home. "Soon after [we heard] gunshots, Ramos ran out of the house carrying some bags and jumped into his grandmother's truck," Gallegos said. "I thought it was strange because he doesn't know how to drive." He recalled how Ramos sped off after seemingly having some difficulty with the truck in the beginning.

Moments later, Gonzalez, covered in blood, stepped out of her home and ran towards them. "She was delirious and in obvious pain," Gallegos said. "Celia then said to me: "Look at what he did to me!"' She never mentioned his name, but my wife and I knew who she was talking about, her grandson, Salvador."

Gallegos immediately helped Gonzalez with a towel and brought her to safety. He quickly took her to the backyard area of his home and kept her safe while his wife called 911. "She was in shock and blood was everywhere," Gallegos said. "I did the best I could." Gallegos stayed with Gonzalez in the back porch area until law enforcement arrived and air-lifted her to a hospital in San Antonio. Relatives said that Gonzalez was in a critical condition after being shot in the face as the bullet entered her cheek, shattered her teeth, and exited under her ear.

Ramos was shot dead by an off-duty Customs and Border Protection agent from an elite tactical unit. The agent killed Ramos before his evil rampage could claim more lives. Police officials from the Texas Department of Public Safety, US Customs and Border Protection, and various other local agencies responded to the deadly shooting in the small town located about 60 miles east of the Mexico border on Tuesday, May 24. The agent, a member of CBP’s Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC), rushed to the school while Ramos was still actively carrying out the massacre. The agent began exchanging rounds with the gunman, who was reportedly barricaded inside a fourth-grade classroom. Law enforcement told NBC that the officer was injured in the attack, but managed to kill the shooter before more innocent lives were taken.