One of the victims from the mass shooting in the Hedingham neighborhood of Raleigh has taken another step closer to recovery.
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Lynn Gardner has been in the hospital since the shooting almost three weeks ago. She spent her 60th birthday in the intensive care unit.
On Tuesday, loved ones shared that she was moved to a step-down unit, making her way to in-patient rehabilitation.
"Some highlights: She was able to go outside yesterday for the first time and was reunited with her sweet 'fur baby.'" wrote Mary Kathryn Kurth on Gardner's GoFundMe.
A photo shared with the message shows Gardner's hands holding her dog Baebee for the first time in weeks. On top of being reunited with her beloved dog, Gardner is now able to talk once again.
She had been using typing on tablets and other electronics in order to communicate, but has now healed enough to speak.
"It's so wonderful to hear her voice again," wrote Kurth.
After 19 days of ups and downs, surgeries and a fight to survive, Lynn "continues to maintain a positive attitude, and she is so determined to keep pushing hard in rehab."
Gardner was shot outside the home of her friend - Nicole Connors.
Her friend did not survive.
Connors' name is one of five on memorials that stand at the entrance to the Hedingham neighborhood, 19 days after police say a 15-year-old shooter took their lives.
Raleigh police update City Council on mass shooting investigation
"We still don’t know the exact motive of why he did it," said Raleigh Police Chief Estella Patterson during Tuesday's update to city council on the investigation.
She says detectives have interviewed school officials and friends and family of the suspect.
The city's response to the mass shooting is expected to come during Tuesday night's meeting. The fiance of Mary Marshall, who died in the Hedingham shooting, tells WRAL News he plans to speak before the council.
Poloce say they do believe the suspect acted alone, but still don't know his exact motive.
They are working with the District Attorney's office on charges, and SBI is continuing their investigation into the officers involved.
Raleigh police say they will continue to have a presence in community to ensure safety,
Patterson said the police have seized 921 this year so far, compared to only 745 last year.
They also report a slight uptick in gun violence in last 28 days
Patterson also says her department is working to reduce a surge in gun violence.
"Collectively, we all have to do what we can to keep firearms out of the hands of those who should not have it," she says.