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| Cynthia Halls condition is improving; Her family has asked us to pray Fulton County Deputy Cynthia Hall still lay on a breathing machine in critical condition Saturday, but her doctor said her health was improving. "We're going in the right direction. She's making progress," said Dr. Jeffrey Salomone, a trauma surgeon at Grady Hospital. "Her condition continues to be stable." Hall, a deputy since 1988, was attacked and had her gun wrested away from her by rape suspect Brian Nichols in the Fulton County Courthouse Friday. Doctors said Saturday they now doubt initial reports that Nichols shot Hall in the head during the struggle. They suspect she received the wound to her forehead either when Nichols struck her with the gun or punched her or when she fell and struck her head. "There were only two people there, so we don't know," Salomone said. He did not completely reject the possibility that the wound was caused by a bullet that grazed her head, but he added that she would have to be awfully lucky for that to be the case. Doctors said a small bruise on Hall's brain has not grown and that she has not developed any brain swelling. She has a "goose egg" bump on the back of her head and some fractures around her right eye socket. On Saturday, doctors began weaning her off of heavy sedation. They said they hope she will breathe entirely on her own in a few days. Hall still has not opened her eyes, in part due to swelling around them, but she is responding to commands to move her arms and legs. The deputy had to be heavily sedated when she arrived because she was combative with staff in the emergency room. Salomone said that might have been caused by her brain injury or an anxiety reaction to the incident. Jean Hall, the deputy's sister, said the family is seeking privacy from the media attention. "We are asking you to please pray" she said. Salomone said family members are converging at Hall's bedside, and she has received a steady stream of visits from friends, family and other law enforcement officers. Back in her home state of West Virginia, Hall's younger brother, John Hall, said he is hoping to speak to his sister soon. John Hall, who is 47, said he and his sister have always been close. When he heard she had been injured, "I was kind of scared," he said. The Halls come from a big family of a half-dozen brothers and sisters. When they were children, her brother said, they played hide-and-seek and horseshoes. He said his sister went to college and is a religious person. Her middle name is Ann and he calls her "Annie." He said if he could talk to her now, he would say, "I'm glad you didn't get killed." Please click here to see video of him . |