White Sox ballpark shooting victim breaks silence, speaks exclusively with ABC7

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A woman who was shot in the leg at a Chicago White Sox game nearly five weeks ago has broken her silence, speaking exclusively with ABC7.

The victim, who has chosen to remain anonymous, spoke about her injuries and addressed the speculation that she accidentally shot herself.

"It started off as a great night," she said. "I was looking forward to not only a baseball game, but a concert that evening with family and friends."

However, everything changed in an instant during the fourth inning as the lifelong White Sox fan was sitting in the left field bleachers during the August 25 game.

"I heard a loud pop," the victim said. "I felt an impact on my leg, and I looked down and I did not see anything. I thought somebody, you know, in the crowd had thrown a beer can or thrown something, bottled water or something, and there was nothing there."

But then, someone nearby noticed a lot of blood, and she looked down and saw her right leg was bleeding.

READ MORE: 2 White Sox shooting victims were Chicago Public Schools teachers; other victim denies she had gun

"It wasn't until a couple moments later that somebody mentioned that there was a bullet found a couple of rows down," she said. "And at that moment was when I realized I had been shot. I panicked. I completely went into panic mode, knowing that there was a bullet fired nearby us. And at that point I didn't know if it was there was going to be more gunfire. I didn't know anything. I was terrified. I wanted to get out of that area because I knew somebody in the immediate area had a gun on them."

The woman was taken to a hospital where she was treated for several wounds to her right leg. She shared a picture that was taken at the hospital, showing where the bullet entered her right calf after it first grazed her thigh. An X-ray image showed the bullet embedded in her leg just above the ankle.

"The bullet has not been removed," she said. "They're afraid that it could cause more damage at this point to remove it."

After the shooting happened, police and the White Sox decided to let the game continue so as not to cause a panic. The victim wishes the they would have stopped the game.

"I wish that there would have been that people would have been aware of what happened," she said.

She agreed to do an interview with ABC7 to address the speculation that she was to blame for the shooting.

The woman said she absolutely did not sneak a gun into the ballpark, which was a rumored narrative. She also said she has never even owned a firearm, although she does have a FOID card.

The victim said she has been fully cooperating with police, but the last time they contacted her was the day after the shooting.

She has retained an attorney who has consulted with a firearms expert and the doctors who treated her that night.

"The evidence that we have, both of the injuries and of the X-ray demonstrating the position of the slug in her leg tell us that she did not shoot herself," her attorney John Malm said.

READ MORE: Shooting at White Sox game likely involved gun fired inside park

Police, who initially believed the shot was fired inside the ballpark, are now considering that it may have come from outside.

"I would obviously like answers," the victim said. "I would like to know what happened that night."

She said she's trying to be patient just like everyone else who have been closely following the story. The partial season ticket holder said she has not attended a White Sox game since the shooting, and she said she hopes she will one day feel safe enough to return to the ballpark to enjoy a game.