“Apparently, the food was cut off, so a CT scan could not be done,” Dr. Constance Hoare wrote in her notes from the intensive care unit.
“In OR [the operating room] he was more wrong than expected, “Hoare wrote.
But the surgeon who operated on Stephens said there was simply no time for a computed tomography scan, regardless of its availability or lack of it.
“It looked like we wouldn’t have time to take him to the CT scan for other injuries, so they took him straight to the operating room because he was in shock,” wrote Dr. Bill Walker, the surgeon who operated on him.
Shortly before Stephens’ first operation of the day, at 6:39 a.m., doctors were able to get an x-ray. During this first surgery, doctors tried to repair the damage to the internal organs to control the internal bleeding. They also removed bullet fragments from Stephens’ left arm and lower back. After surgery, Stephens was eventually taken to a CT scan and then to the intensive care unit.