October 12, 2005 12:51 am
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By Tom Blakey
Transcript Staff Writer
Norman resident Andrea Ratkovich, a world-class triathlete and duathlete, was out training on her bicycle Monday afternoon, traveling westbound on the long stretch of wide sidewalk that extends along the north side of Robinson Street.
At the same time, about 1:30 in the afternoon, a couple of teen-age boys were traveling west on Robinson Street — one driving and the other pointing a firearm out the car’s passenger’s window.
“They were driving in the outside lane — the one closest to the bike path, and fired off several shots,” Ratkovich said. “I heard a tat-tat-tat-tat, and knew what it was. I was hoping they’d miss, but then I felt the sting and the burn and I knew that I’d been hit.”
Ratkovich said the projectile — she thinks it was a pellet — broke the skin and left a “hole” on the lower left side of her back.
“I got lucky. I was wearing two shirts — a T-shirt and a cycling jersey,” she said.
Ratkovich said the jersey was made from a synthetic, polyurethane-based, “lycra”-type material. That, combined with the “hunched over” position in which she was riding and the angle from which she was shot, probably kept the projectile from entering into her body, she said.
Once she realized she wasn’t going to pass out or die and that all her body parts were working, Ratkovich said she set out to catch up to the sniper and driver.
The car was about 600 meters east of 24th Avenue Northwest when Ratkovich was shot, and the driver planned on turning south onto 24th before Ratkovich caught up.
The professional cyclist said she “prayed for a red light and got it.” Ratkovich rode up along the passenger side of the car, which was stopped third from the stoplight, she said.
Ratkovich said she was intent on getting a good look at the shooter and the driver, so she’d be able to identify them if called upon to do so at a later date.
“I actually felt bad when I saw how old they were,” she said. “They were two middle-class-looking white kids, probably 16 or 17 years old.”
Ratkovich said she decided to handle the situation “as non-violently as possible.”
“I asked them if they wanted to shoot me again, and they said ‘no.’
“I asked them if they thought it was funny, and they said ‘no.’
“I asked them, then ‘why the hell did you shoot me’ and they said they didn’t know.
“I told them I had their tag number and was going to report them to the police,” she said.
When police arrived, Ratkovich declined to be transported to the hospital by ambulance. “I told them if I was going to die, I think I would have by now. I work at the hospital and pretty much knew the extent of the wound and felt like I’d be all right,” she said.
Instead, Ratkovich had her roommate take her to the hospital, where she was given a clean bill of health.
“They’re extremely lucky it happened like it did. If it had hit my carotid artery, they could have manslaughter or murder charges against them,” she said.
The projectile could have easily put out her eye or paralyzed her, she said.
“I can’t believe they shot me. I’d love to sit down and talk to them. I’m sure something like this never entered their minds.
“It’s a gun, for God’s sake. It could easily have killed me,” Ratkovich said.
Norman Police Lt. Tom Easley said no arrests had been made Tuesday evening. He said the case was “an active investigation,” and declined further comment.
Ratkovich said she’s “contacted an attorney to handle it from here.”
“It’s a serious issue. I don’t think they thought of all that before they pulled the trigger. I guarantee they’re going to think about it now,” she said.
Tom Blakey
366-3540
tblakey@normantranscript.com
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