X-rays show bullet lodged in woman's neck

Evelyn Matamoros shot in face during armed robbery

MIAMI – X-rays show a bullet lodged in a woman's neck after she was shot in the face during a robbery.

Evelin Matamoros was shot as she left Cafe Ruyi restaurant in Miami on Jan. 24, say police.

"She had a gunshot wound on the left side of her face," said Dr. Gabriel Ruiz, clinical instructor of surgery at Ryder Trauma Center.

Ruiz treated Matamoros, 36, when she arrived at JMH. He said the bullet glanced off her cheek bone, traveled through her mouth, fractured her lower jaw, and then lodged itself in her neck.

The bullet even flipped one of her teeth upside down.

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"There were many organs that could have been damaged with that trajectory," said Ruiz. "It's a very serious injury because of the location and the type of trauma she received."

Ruiz said Matamoros stayed calm throughout the ordeal and helped detectives identify the shooting suspect from a lineup. Police arrested 20-year-old Kamiah Lanier that night, charging him with one count of armed robbery with a firearm, one count of attempted murder, one count of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and one count of use of firearm during the commission of a felony.  

Matamoros will undergo reconstructive surgery Wednesday morning. Dr. Michael Peleg, a UM/Jackson oral and maxillofacial surgeon, will replace the section of her shattered jaw with a custom-fitted titanium plate.

"We think she'll be able to chew, (and) be able to open her mouth without any restriction," he said. "I'm very optimistic and I believe we can provide a very good result."

Doctors say Matamoros will likely need three or four surgeries, but they expect her to make a full recovery. They added that her recovery could last a year.