Local restaurant owner talks niece’s recovery after Paris attacks

Shot in her arm and leg during in the terrorist attacks in Paris, 32-year-old Amandine Andretto remains in the hospital.

“We got good news, the first good news. She’s in good spirit,” said her uncle Philippe Caupain.

Caupain, the owner of Si Bon restaurant in Rancho Mirage said Andretto will need surgery and months to recover, but most importantly she’s alive.

Andretto and her boyfriend who live in Paris went to the Eagles of Death Metal concert Friday night, proud to see the rock group from the Coachella Valley where Andretto would frequently visit her aunt and uncle.

When gunfire broke out in the theater, Andretto was hit and played dead for about an hour.

“It was very very shocking,” said Caupain. “She is the only member of the family in Paris and of course she happened to be at the concert.”

Now, Si Bon restaurant customers are offering up their support to Andretto and her loved ones in the desert.

“Philippe is a really close friend of mine. I was shocked to hear his niece was wounded in the 9/11 of France,” said Rancho Mirage resident Donald Poorman.

“I’ve been receiving a lot of support. Emails, flowers, phone calls, messages, I want to thank the community for the support they gave me and the family, and Amandine,” said Caupain.

While Andretto and her boyfriend survived the terror, the impact in Paris was felt around the world.

“She was so close to being killed and she survived, and that’s a great feeling, but I feel for all of the people who died,” said Caupain.

“My flag is at half mast. Our hearts go out to everyone in France. I can just imagine how they’re living. You’d be afraid to walk around,” said Poorman.