Three victims return to school after shooting

NICKEL MINES, Pa. – Three of the five girls wounded during a massacre in an Amish schoolhouse last month are back in school at least part time, and more than $3.2 million has been donated to help the survivors, a community group said Monday.

Two of the girls still need extensive reconstructive surgery and are attending classes part time, the Nickel Mines Accountability Committee said. Some of the donated money will pay to make their homes and a new school that will be built handicapped-accessible, the group said.

One of the two girls who suffered severe head wounds remains in the hospital, but shows “remarkable improvement” and should be released by Christmas, the committee said. The other girl is home but semicomatose and likely will have lifelong disabilities.

The fifth girl is attending classes full time and is expected to fully recover from injuries to her shoulder, hand and leg, the committee said.

Five other girls were killed in the Oct. 2 attack at West Nickel Mines Amish School. The 32-year-old gunman, Charles Carl Roberts IV, committed suicide as police surrounded the one-room school. The schoolhouse was later razed.

The donations will also be used for medical expenses, long-term care, counseling and transportation, the committee said. The group added it has been in contact with Roberts’ widow, Marie, “to make sure adequate support is available” for her and their three children.