Central Los Angeles : Teacher Shot in Head Speaks First Words; Hospital Praised

Continuing his remarkable recovery, teacher Alfredo Perez spoke his first words Wednesday and his doctor said he will probably leave the hospital Friday and enter a rehabilitation facility.

“He said ‘OK,’ ” said Dr. George E. Locke, chairman of neurosurgery at Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center, where Perez has been treated since he was shot in the head by a stray bullet Feb. 22 in front of his students at Figueroa Street Elementary School in South-Central Los Angeles.

Noting that Perez has been sitting up and eating solid food, Locke added: “Friday, I plan on wheeling him out of here.”

Meanwhile, at Wednesday’s Los Angeles City Council meeting, the hospital, which has been the subject of intense criticism for mismanagement in past years, was honored for its work in the caring for trauma victims.

“Today we salute the extraordinary work of those people on the front lines,” said Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas.

Also attending the ceremony were Dr. Arthur Fleming, chairman of surgery, and Dr. Samuel Biggers, vice chairman of neurosciences.

Councilwoman Ruth Galanter pledged her support for emergency centers. “I will continue to press for more federal, state and local funding for hospital trauma care,” Galanter said.

The doctors attempted to cast light on not only the human suffering, but also on the financial drain that violent acts have on the economics of the hospital.

“The cost of treatment for Mr. Perez runs into the six figures,” Locke said. “Beside the sorrow, this is a tremendous burden on the scant resources the county has.”

In 1995, the hospital treated 3,541 trauma cases. Of those, 1,303 were from gunshot wounds and 292 from stab wounds.

Describing the outpouring of public concern for Perez as perhaps the largest he has ever seen for a patient, Locke said: “This is a heart-rending story. But we do this type of thing nearly every week.”