A 20-year-old South Carolina woman was taken to a hospital on Tuesday after she was discovered holding at least one of her eyeballs outside of a church in Anderson.
Witness Elizabeth Hiott told local news station WYFF she was working inside South Main Chapel and Mercy Center when somebody yelled at her to call 911.
“It was across the street, and I could see blood, and could hear her screaming, and I realized something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong,” Hiott told the station. “I immediately called 911 and it almost felt like the 911 dispatcher didn’t even believe me.”
There were conflicting reports as to whether the woman was holding one or both of her eyeballs. WYFF reported that she was holding both, while the Associated Press reported she was holding only one. The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department did not immediately return a request for comment from HuffPost.
The Rev. Terry Mitchell, a retired minister on the scene, told the Independent Mail that the woman was on her knees and struggled against people who were trying to help her get treatment.
Deputies and emergency workers arrived on the scene and determined the wound to the eye was self-inflicted.
“Most of our deputies have never seen anything like that,” Sheriff Chad McBride told Fox Carolina.
The woman was airlifted to a nearby hospital where she received medical treatment, according to Fox News. She is reportedly in stable condition.
The sheriff’s office told the AP that since no crime was committed, no charges will be filed.
Meanwhile, the church held a debriefing to help those who witnessed the incident cope with it
“Prayer and community and family is what’s going to get us through this,” Hiott told WYFF.
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