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thedrifter
09-18-05, 07:24 AM
‘Something told me to go back' -- Shooting victim reunites with woman who saved her life <br />
By WENDY JEFFCOAT, T&amp;D Staff Writer <br />
<br />
When Cheryl Brown entered Club 1317 the evening of Feb. 3, 1996, she...

thedrifter
09-18-05, 07:25 AM
Because the bullet that hit Denella was the same one that had entered and exited another of the victims that night, she said her wound was not as severe as it could have been.

Determined to remain 'Semper Fi'

Medical recovery was not the only obstacle Denella faced in the weeks following the shooting.

She had been a part of the Marines Corps since enlisting on May 30, 1987. Because of the gunshot wound, the Marines worried she wouldn't be able to keep up with the demands of the job and wanted her out, Denella said.

However, just two months after she was shot, in April 1996, Denella passed one of the most demanding tests of the military — the yearly Physical Fitness Training — with a bullet still deep in her neck.

"I passed the PFT and they let me stay in," she said. "I did everything while the bullet was still in me.

"I was determined to stay in the Marines."

The wound would catch up with her eventually. In June 1999, Denella was medically retired from the Marine Corps due to the residual effects of the gunshot wound.

A shooter goes free

Denella said family and friends kept her posted on the prosecution of the man who was accused of being the shooter.

Attorneys also kept her abreast as preparations for the trial were ongoing, but Denella said she was more concerned about whether the man learned from the incident, learned that guns are not the answer to all your problems, than she was about seeing him punished for the crime.

"I knew I was going to be fine," Denella said. "That is my resilience from being a Marine."

The suspect was found not guilty of assault and battery with intent to kill when he was tried in October 1997 for the shooting of Denella.

In a T&D article published Oct. 16, 1997, Deputy First Circuit Solicitor Jimmy Williams, who prosecuted the case, called the decision "a great injustice," saying the jury "failed the citizens of Orangeburg County."

The suspect claimed he was threatened at gunpoint by another man who confronted him inside the club and fired his weapon. He admitted to firing his own weapon once as well.

Denella, along with four other witnesses, testified the suspect was the only person who fired a gun that evening.

"I was disappointed, but I wasn't devastated," Denella said of the verdict. "I just figured I had to go on with my life.

"I wasn't bitter because prayer had brought me to where I am now. It wasn't the end, and I was determined not to make it the end."

Always searching

While in the hospital, Denella continuously asked for the woman who so unselfishly consoled her and held the bloody rags to her jaw for more than half an hour.

Cheryl made a trip to Charleston to visit the injured woman and made another trip to visit Denella at her grandmother's house in Eutawville a few days after her release from MUSC.

That was the last time the pair saw one another, barring their reunion last evening.

"I found her when I got stationed in New York," Denella said. "I would stay up late just to call her to see how she was doing. We kept in touch for about a year or so ... then I lost her because I only had her number at her job."

The last time they spoke was in 1999.

"(But) I never gave up looking for her," she said, enlisting the help of her family and the Internet in her search.

Cheryl said she, too, has continuously sought out Denella, most recently calling every Brown listed in Eutawville in search of a relative. It wasn't until a "freak" conversation took place between relatives of two, centering on club violence and shootings, that they were able to reunite.

Turns out, after the coworkers swapped stories of their loved ones' experiences, they realized they were talking about the same club shooting.

Denella's step-sister, Angela James, called her as soon as she could to share the news.

"I almost dropped the phone — I couldn't believe it," Denella said when James called to tell her she had found Cheryl.

Cheryl said it took Denella two days to return her phone call, the woman was so emotional.

"She said ... 'I'm really not supposed to be here,'" Cheryl said, quoting one of her conversations with Denella. "I said, 'Yes, you're supposed to be here. That's why God sent me back in that club.'

"I would do it again. Even if they couldn't speak to me, even if they couldn't tell me to save their life — I would save their life and suffer the consequences afterwards."

A lesson to be learned

Denella, who just happens to be celebrating her 36th birthday today, now lives in Columbia, where she has been lending her military expertise to the Disabled American Veterans, helping those who pass through its doors settle claims.

As for clubs, she said she doesn't even bother with them.

"I don't do civilian clubs anymore," Denella said. "That's not how I wanted to die. I'm not a club person, and I shouldn't die in a club."

Her advice to young people is simply not to carry weapons — settle their differences the "old-fashioned" way.

"Stop the shooting," she said. "If y'all gonna fight, fight, and live another day. Just stop the shooting.

"People think guns are toys, and they're not. It changes people's lives forever."

Ellie