KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A Knoxville woman is back home after surviving a horrific domestic assault shooting on Valentine's Day.
Rachel Scott was beaten and shot by her husband before he killed himself. She woke up paralyzed and has spent months recovering at a center in Atlanta.
Scott said she was in the middle of a divorce with her husband when she was shot and injured. As time went on, she recalled his behavior as abnormal. He would get a little more hostile every day, she said.
He started tracking her car and hacking into her accounts. Scott said she was scared to the point she began carrying a gun, which was previously taken out of the house because she believed he was suicidal.
"I was carrying it on me all the time, even when he was here because I didn't feel safe," she said.
But she never expected what happened just after midnight on February 14.
"I just remember feeling a lot of pain. I didn't realize I had been shot," said Scott. "I never thought he would try to hurt me also and try to kill me."
Scott's husband beat her multiple times and shot her, according to reports. He then called the police and told them what he had done. When they arrived, she said he shot himself.
Scott didn't realize that night she'd be taking her last steps. As a result of the attack, she was paralyzed.
"That was a weird moment when your brain's telling you to do something and nothing is happening," she said.
After months of surgeries and therapy, she's back home with her two boys. Their roles are reversed between her and her children, Scott said. The house where the shooting happened has also been remodeled.
"Here I am, the parent that's there to protect and care for them but the roles are reversed," she said. "I need them to help me now."
More than a dozen businesses chipped in to make renovations now that Scott is in a wheelchair. They included building a ramp into the home, widening doorways, adding hardwood floors and making everyday life more accessible.
"The outpour of support has been amazing and they're not even wanting anything in return," she said.
She says talking about it all helps.
Her focus now lies in raising her family, moving forward and taking care of her mental health. She's also working on getting a car that meets her needs.
This is also a list of businesses that contributed to remodeling Scott's home:
- Cella Flooring & Design - Tile for bathroom and shower
- Ferguson - Bathroom hardware, vanities and lighting
- Old City Kitchens/Knox Rail Salvage - Cabinets
- Cox Interior Inc. - Sliding barn door bathroom
- Knoxville Wholesale Granite - Countertops
- Cricket Lane - Boarded family dog since tragedy
- Lowes - $2,500 donation towards materials for ramp
- Floor & Decor - Shower materials (ADA compliant)
- Loveland Baptist Church - Labor to build ramp
- Tim Webb - Helped Loveland Baptist organize and build ramp into home
- The Sedgley Family - Labor to install cabinets and clean after project
- Smith Roofing & Exterior - Labor and miscellaneous materials
- Smith Handyman Service - Labor and miscellaneous materials