Shot seven times, Davis battles domestic violence
She was shot by her estranged husband seven times and left for dead. She says it was God Himself who stepped in and saved her life.
Tina Davis gave the money that had been raised to help her to be used for others who are victims of domestic violence.
Davis recently divided $7,000 between The North Georgia Mountain Crisis Network (NGMCN) and the Cherokee County Family Violence Center.
The NGMCN, headquartered in Fannin County, received its $3,500 check at the group’s December 10 board meeting.
The money was raised for Davis through a 5K running event called Tina’s Cat Run. The run was held at the Ball Ground, Georgia, community center and was the birth child of Davis’ nieces, Tiffani Willingham and Lindsey Phillips, in her honor.
“Tina shared her amazing story of domestic violence survival at the board meeting. It was an inspiration to all,” said NGMCN Executive Director Kimberly O’Neal.
“Tina was an avid runner and a cat lover so her niece Tiffani started the cat run in October of 2018 for Tina. Tina did not want the money and asked for all of it to be split between NGMCN and Cherokee Family Violence.” October of 2019 marked the second year of the race and Davis plans to host the event annually.
On February 12, 2018, Davis’ life changed forever. She was shot seven times with a .40 caliber pistol by her husband Ronald Goss. The pair had separated prior to the attack. “Four of those seven were defensive wounds,” Davis said. “Thank God for breast implants because instead of it (the bullet from the shot to her chest) going straight through and taking out my lung and shoulder blade there was just enough resistance to tip it up and it came out up higher on my back.”
The next shots ripped through her left hand and shoulder. Still standing, she turned away but another bullet hit her hip. That’s when she fell to the floor.
That bullet shattered half of Davis’ L3 and L4 vertebrae. “That’s the one that put me in the wheelchair,” she said. “This is a God thing. That bullet ricocheted up through my torso but didn’t pierce anything.” Instead, the bullet grazed her liver, spleen, pancreas and a rib.
At some point a bullet ricocheted off the tile and hit Goss in the head, she said, which clouded his vision. So, when Goss stood over her and fired at her head, he missed. The bullet hit the tile floor next to her chin.
“Every time I get discouraged all I have to do is touch my face. God was with me that morning. Not a guardian angel, God Himself stepped in,” she said. “That bullet ricocheted, hit my left cheek, went in and shaved the enamel off my bottom cap. It went up and hit my top two caps and changed trajectory, went across and split the roof of my mouth, went through my sinus cavity and shaved my orbital bone. And the bullet was sitting crossways on my cheek under my skin.”
The bullet didn’t damage her jaw or tongue or eye, she commented. “People need to know there is a God and he does take care of people,” she said.
Davis never thought Goss would do what he did. “He cheated on me during our marriage and he had been both emotionally and verbally abusive at times, but he had never been physically abusive,” she said. “I never dreamed he would do anything like what he did.”
There were no warning signs, she said. “It was a complete shock to me and to everyone who knew him.”
Her recovery has been extensive. Davis was cut open from her chest to her pelvis in order to staunch the internal bleeding. “I had 40 staples and they left me open for two days,” she said. She also now has had numerous surgeries, has a titanium rod in the left upper arm and is learning to walk again.
Davis was a fitness instructor for over 20 years and was an avid runner, running multiple half-marathons, so she has goals of holding a barbell again and of running more half-marathons in 2021. She said, “I’ll be spending 2020 working toward walking without any assisting devices and training for the races.” Doctors and friends say her health, strength and outlook are what is enabling her to recover so quickly.
Davis said she wanted to use the funds from the run to help people close to her home. “After my incident, there was no way I could ever repay everything I had received – the thoughts, prayers, cards, visits, donations. It was way too much,” she said. “The only thing I could think to do was try and pay it forward. The race gives me the opportunity to raise money to hopefully help people in bad situations.”
She is now a peer support person for the Shepherd Center and Kennestone Hospital. “I go in and speak to and offer support to people who are victims of similar experiences or gun violence. I also speak to groups when asked,” she said.
Goss was charged with attempted murder, nine counts of aggravated battery, home invasion and attempted arson. He remains at Cherokee County jail awaiting trial.
The advice she gives to anyone in an abusive relationship is to “seek help and get out of it.” She said, “Don’t live in an abusive situation! Any kind of abuse! You don’t know where it might lead and you deserve better!”
NGMCN will spend the money on emergency expenses. “Funds donated to NGMCN by Tina’s Cat Run are used for emergency expenses of domestic violence victims not covered by state or federal funding,” O’Neal said. “Tina’s story can help those still living in a domestic violence situation by giving them a look into what can happen if they choose to stay, giving them the courage they need to find a safe place.
“Others may be recovering and feeling like there is no hope either from physical injury/abuse and/or depression from emotional abuse. Hearing a powerful story like Tina’s and seeing her infectious smile as she talks can give other victims the courage they need to take the next step in their recovery process.”
NGMCN serves victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Fannin, Gilmer and Pickens counties. The 24/7 hotline number is 706-632-8400.