RED LAKE SCHOOL SHOOTINGS: Cobenais now awake

[NVMojo]

FARGO - After coming out of a medically induced coma, Steven Cobenais' first words were typical of a 15-year-old boy: "I'm hungry."

Doctors say Cobenais, the student most seriously injured in last month's shootings in Red Lake High School, has been making remarkable progress. He has been able to say a few words, move his body and eat small amounts of Jell-O.

He also has been removed from a ventilator. His condition was upgraded from critical to serious Tuesday, MeritCare Hospital neurosurgeon Dr. Alex Mendez said at a news conference.

"The fact that he's serious means he's not at an imminent risk of death," Mendez said. "But due to the type of injury that this young man suffered, he's certainly far away from being safe."

Cobenais was one of seven students injured when Jeff Weise, 16, began firing shots in Red Lake High School on March 21. A total of 10 people, including Weise, died in the rampage that began in Weise's grandfather's home and ended in the school.

Cobenais was shot in the face at close range. He suffered severe brain damage and lost his left eye.

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