Seven Bullets

A story of survival and recovery

By Kelly Brye

Each and every week, I look forward to sharing special stories about the people and the history of Fernley. This week, we share the gripping story of heartbreak, death, and subsequent recovery of a Fernley resident nearly five years after a tragic day that changed her life forever.

As I write this story, I should disclose that my family and I have a great affinity for Mexico, specifically the Baja California region, from the border all the way south to the infamous Los Cabos area. We love the people of Mexico, their strong families and their culture of joy, food, music and more. As such, I share with you that Adriana Cardona, the subject of this week’s story, comes from a strong Mexican family. Her father was from Texas and her mother was from Mexico. They have been married for 50 years. They had six children, four daughters and two sons. Adriana is the eldest. The children were raised in San Luis, located in the Mexican state of Sonora, near the Arizona border. The family moved to Modesto, CA along the way and called Modesto home for decades.

However, in 2006, as a single mother, Adriana relocated to Fernley. In her words, “Fernley is good for families and children.” Six years later, Adriana’s father and mother left their home in Modesto, and followed Adriana and their grandchildren to Fernley. They lived in the same house, shared household expenses and remain as close as ever to the present day.

Years later, leading up to November 6, 2019, Adriana was as happy as she had ever been. She was in an amazing relationship, deeply in love and everything was going in the right direction. They were looking forward to getting married. They were developing strong equity in their Fernley home. They had a large truck and beautiful 5th-wheel toy hauler. He had a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. They loved going on long rides and traveling together. He was preparing to retire in five years from the date of this horrific tragedy and they were so excited to travel, sightsee and perhaps relocate somewhere else and explore more of the country.

November 6, 2019 was a routine day for Adriana. She loved her job at MSC Industrial Supply, a large Fernley employer, and was wrapping up her shift with plans to meet up with her mother and daughters that evening to enjoy a movie. On this same afternoon, her fiancé was traveling west to California for a project of his own. Adriana created a group text including her mother and her daughters as they chatted back and forth about their upcoming event at the movies. In an attempt to allow her fiancé to know her plans that evening, she had also included his mobile number in the group text conversation. Upon receiving notification of her plans that evening, Adriana speculates that he became concerned about her upcoming activities after her shift was over and turned his vehicle around and showed up at her workplace.

At approximately 7 p.m., as her shift was coming to an end, she received a text message from her fiancé advising her to walk to her car. As she approached the driver’s side of her vehicle, she could see that he was sitting in the passenger’s seat. “Get in the car,” he commanded her. In possession of a 9mm handgun, he put it to the side of her head and said, “Drive.”

She recalls not being scared or feeling any sense of fear. She responded by telling him that she wanted to talk right there and that there was no reason to leave. She still believed he wouldn’t hurt her.

After debating back and forth and attempting to discuss his concerns while sitting in her vehicle, she felt compelled to get out of the car and walk back into her workplace. As she exited the car and took her first few steps back towards the building, he pointed the gun and shot a round into her back. She said that there was no pain, but she felt a “super-hot” sensation. She slowly walked back to her car and sat down.

While she sat in her vehicle, confused and experiencing shock, he fired six more rounds at her, all at close range. One round entered the side of her face, exiting on the other side, destroying half of her jaw, a portion of her mouth, all of her lower teeth, and a portion of her tongue. Multiple rounds entered her shoulders and one round exited through her chest region. After firing a total of seven rounds at Adriana, he exited the passenger side of her vehicle, walked to the front of the car and took his own life. Sadly, Adriana had to witness this while experiencing her own unimaginable trauma.

For the next six months, Adriana’s story of survival and recovery took place in Renown hospital in Reno. She was in a coma for an extended period of time. Her mouth was wired shut for several months as they reconstructed her jaw and addressed the rest of her severe wounds. She required a full set of dental implants. The road to recovery was difficult, to say the least.

Surrounded by a large, loving family, Adriana says the waiting rooms were always packed with family while she was hospitalized. Extended family from different parts including Mexico arrived and sat vigil for the weeks and months that she was recovering. They brought food for one another. With a chuckle, she says that hospital staff had to advise her large family to “calm down” often as the group was so large it often created an inconvenience for those tending to patients.

Nearly five years after this tragic event, Adriana continues to learn how to live with herself and the impact it’s had on her life. She doesn’t view herself as a victim and doesn’t want anyone else to, either. She is self-conscious about the scars on her shoulders and wears tops that cover and hide the reminder. Because a portion of her tongue is missing, she has had to work hard on her speech, which will be impacted forever. In an area of her chest/collarbone area where one bullet exited, she shows a tattoo in the shape of a heart with the names of two of her grandchildren to hide the visual reminder. Physically, she lives with pain every day

Most importantly, the emotional and psychological therapy that she has received and continues to be treated with have been crucial in her progress to recover from that traumatic life-changing event. One of Adriana’s therapists has encouraged her to tell her story. This has proven to be one of the most difficult things for her to conquer, as one could well imagine. Reliving the events of that day brings tears and overwhelming emotions. This story and Adriana’s ability to share it with me and with you, the reader, is part of the healing process for her. Adriana’s story is not over, in fact, it continues to live on as she does.

After six months of hospitalization and extended time away from work, Adriana still works for MSC. When she was ready to come back to work, they offered her the ability to work from home and have accommodated her in many, many ways. I applaud them for being a wonderful part of her journey.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about this story is Adriana’s current feelings about her former fiancé. While she doesn’t know what triggered him on that fateful day, she knows it wasn’t the same person she was once in love with. In fact, she shared that she would love to meet him in heaven one day. 

Kelly Brye is a Fernley business owner and the standing MC at the uniquely entertaining Chamber of Commerce breakfasts. He loves people, Mexico, Tracy, and is thrilled to be a part of launching the printed edition of The Fernley Reporter.