Andy Starnes, Post-Gazette Carrie Zeravica rests on the living room sofa in her North Huntingdon home yesterday. She was one of four people shot early Friday when a gunman opened fire in a Las Vegas casino.

By Anita Srikameswaran
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette On her ninth visit to Las Vegas, Carrie Zeravica planned to relax, play roulette and show off her favorite spots to her boyfriend and two cousins, who had never been to Sin City.

Instead, two days after she got there, the 23-year-old North Huntingdon dance teacher's weeklong vacation was cut short by an "emotionally distressed" stranger who fired 16 shots into a crowd early Friday at the New York-New York casino.

One of those bullets hit Miss Zeravica in the left leg, entering just outside her kneecap and exiting her calf. Questions about how the wound might affect her -- a young woman who minored in dance at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, teaches at a nearby studio, coaches cheerleaders, and enjoys tap, ballet, hip hop and jazz -- bring her quickly to tears.

"I don't know," she said. "I can't point or flex my foot."

For now, Miss Zeravica, who returned home Friday evening, is using crutches and this week will see specialists in orthopedics, plastic surgery and neurology. Despite taking painkillers, she still woke up during the night feeling like her leg was "on fire," as she put it. Bad dreams also troubled her sleep.

At 12:45 a.m. Friday, she, her boyfriend, 28-year-old Justin Hertneky, of Carnegie, and her cousins from Florida were about 20 steps from the escalators on the casino floor. They had just won $100 and were leaving to play roulette at a neighboring casino.

In a balcony near the top of the escalator bank, 51-year-old Steven Zegrean, of Las Vegas, opened fire.

"We heard bam-bam-bam," Miss Zeravica said. "I turned to my boyfriend and said, 'Was that fireworks?' "

The next volley began and, recognizing their danger, they ran for cover. Miss Zeravica figures she was already shot because her left leg was numb. She was soon crawling for cover.

Around her, casino-goers screamed and overturned tables in a stampede to escape.

Briefly separated from her friends, her terror grew. A well-dressed woman, an emergency medical technician from Colorado, came to her aid, putting pressure on her injured leg.

"It was bleeding pretty bad," Miss Zervica said. "I didn't even look at it. I thought if I did I'd pass out."

Her boyfriend and cousins were soon at her side. One phoned Miss Zeravica's parents to tell them what happened.

A night owl, Mary Lou Zeravica had been asleep for perhaps a half hour when her niece phoned. She broke the news gently, but it was still "any mother's worst nightmare," Mrs. Zeravica said.

"I didn't know whether to get on a plane and go, or wait," she added. "I was really frustrated and flustered at that point. I just sat there and cried and waited for them to call me back."

Paramedics took the young woman and a 13-year-old California boy, who was shot in the left ankle, to a hospital. Three other people suffered minor injuries.

"It was crazy," Miss Zeravica said. "I felt like I was on [the TV show] CSI." She was, in fact, interviewed by a forensic expert and police detectives.

Doctors determined that while the bullet that hit her did not appear to damage bone, it may have injured a nerve, so she would need more care.

After getting out of the hospital, she and Mr. Herneky quickly packed their things and got on a flight home, where they were welcomed by a relieved family. Yesterday, seemingly every five minutes, flowers from well-wishers arrived at the Zeravicas' door.

"Every time she talks about it, she cries," Mrs. Zeravica said. "So, of course, we all start crying."

Las Vegas authorities told Miss Zeravica she might have to return there to testify. She said she never saw Mr. Zegrean and wouldn't be able to pick him out of a line-up.

He was disarmed by two off-duty military reservists and two Florida law enforcement agents. He will appear in court tomorrow and is expected to face several charges, including attempted murder.

Authorities said Mr. Zegrean was "greatly emotionally distressed" and may have wandered the Strip for more than a day before the casino shootings.

Miss Zeravica said she "was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Still, "I'm just so mad at him," she said. "I didn't do anything to him. I don't understand why someone would do that."

Las Vegas has been a favorite place for Miss Zeravica and her family, and she has considered moving there.

Now, "I don't know what I think," she said. "I don't think I could go back in that casino."