Choctaw teen recovering after police say he was shot in the head

CHOCTAW (KFOR) – A 17-year-old boy was shot in the head, and police say a 23-year-old woman is to blame.

According to investigators, the bullet went straight through Mason Rodger’s brain, but doctors are stunned, saying his recovery is nothing short of a miracle.

"I was scared,” Ashley Burns said. “I was really scared. No parent wants to go through that."

Ashley Burns has been by her 17-year-old son's side in the ICU praying for a miracle.

"It somehow missed what it needed to miss for him to be able to pull through this,” Burns said. “It did go in through the side and out the back."

Burns is talking about a bullet shot straight through Mason Rodger’s head, shattering his skull.

"It's truly unbelievable,” Burns said.

Police say it happened during a fight early Tuesday morning inside a Choctaw home.

Twenty-three-year-old Brittney Lovell is accused of pulling the trigger. Lovell has been slapped with several felonies, including drug charges and reckless conduct with a firearm.

What happened that night is still a mystery, but Burns says she wants to give all her attention to her son’s recovery.

"We are all praying,” Burns said. “I think everyone I know in this world is praying right now."

When Mason was first brought in, doctors prepared her for the worst, saying if he survived, he would probably be paralyzed.

But Friday, there was a breakthrough.

"He can answer some commands and he can do a thumbs up or a thumbs down,” Burns said.

From brain surgery to now days later breathing on his own, Burns says she is breathing a sigh of relief.

"He will not give up,” Burns said.

Lovell’s charges could change. They are temporary charges for now while she sits in the Oklahoma County Jail.

Meanwhile, Mason will have to have reconstructive surgery on his skull.