Home News 

Story

Hurt Deputy Leaves Rehab

Patient's Rapid Recovery Surprised Physicians

Posted: 12:08 pm EDT April 13, 2005Updated: 12:58 pm EDT April 13, 2005

The Fulton County sheriff's deputy who was injured when a man took her gun and went on a deadly shooting rampage at the courthouse last month left an Atlanta brain injury center Wednesday.

Sheriff's deputy Cynthia Hall leaves rehab after recovering from her injures suffered during the March 11 courthouse attack.

Deputy Cynthia Hall, wearing sneakers and pink hospital scrubs, walked on her own from the Shepherd Center to a van. She gave her doctor, Gerald Bilsky, a "high-five" and then thanked him as she left the medical center where she has been recovering.

"We are very proud of her and know that she still has some work to do," Bilsky said. "But she has come a long way."

Hall, 51, sustained a bruise and bleeding on the brain as well as fractures around her right eye during the March 11 shootings. Authorities say Brian Nichols, 33, overpowered her when she was escorting him to his retrial on a rape charge.

Authorities say Nichols took Hall's gun from a lockbox and shot Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes and court reporter Julie Brandau to death in the courtroom. They say he also killed a sheriff's deputy outside the courthouse and a federal agent at the home the agent was building in Buckhead before he was arrested 26 hours after the shootings began.

Officials said Hall has little, if any, memory of the incident, a loss that she has struggled with.

Hall's doctor says she may never recover fully enough to resume her former duties as a sheriff's deputy. But he says a full recovery is one of the center's goals.

Cynthia Hall

Her treatment regimen during rehab has included strength training, physical therapy and relearning basic skills.

"She's gotten to the point where she can walk unaided," Bilsky said. "Now we have to see how she does handling herself in grocery stores, restaurants and out in the community as opposed to what we consider a more protected environment."

She will continue her rehabilitation at Shepherd Pathways -- an outpatient therapy clinic in Decatur.

Channel 2 Action News health reporter Diana Davis contributed to this report.

More Headlines

2 Investigates

Scientists at the Georgia Aquarium have disturbing new research ... and what they're finding in ocean creatures could have massive implications for Georgians. Channel 2 Action News reporter Linda Stouffer got a close up look. Watch Video ››
Pt. 2 Georgia Aquarium Researchers Conduct Seafood Testing
DOLPHIN RESEARCH WEB EXTRAS: marineland.net | RAW VIDEO: Swimming With Dolphins | Fish Consumption Guidelines | Seafood Advisory Areas


A local police major says he's been removed from hiring and recruitment ... a result of sexual harassment allegations by two women. Channel 2 Action News investigative reporter Mark Winne has the latest. Watch Video ››


Federal law forbids paying welfare benefits to immigrants -- even legal immigrants. But a government investigation found that states all over the country are ignoring an important part of that law. When Channel 2 Action News reporter Richard Belcher asked Georgia's Department of Human Services what it was doing, the answer was: We don't know.

A Channel 2 investigation is exposing critical 911 delays. Dozens of Channel 2 viewers called and e-mailed us and said they were put on hold during emergencies. Investigative reporter Jodie Fleischer spent months requesting and digging through records. While the city of Atlanta still hasn't provived all of what we asked for, Fleischer has uncovered what appears to be a 911 emergency.

Channel 2 Investigates uncovers government waste , fraud and abuse. Full Story ››