A British Columbia woman hit in the head last year by a stray bullet from a gang shootout as she sat watching TV in her condo is now talking publicly for the first time.

Laurie Tinga of Port Moody, on the Lower Mainland, underwent surgery to remove the bullet from her brain and was on life-support for several days.

Laurie Tinga was sitting in this Port Moody condo when she was hit by a stray bullet. (CBC)

She told CBC Radio that when she finally woke up, she was unable to understand what had happened to her.

"They told me I was shot in the head, and my first thought was, 'Somebody is trying to kill me.' And I was trying to think of who was trying to kill me and why, and where would a good place to hide be."

Port Moody police believe the shootout outside Tinga's building was the result of a drug rip-off involving an Indo-Canadian gang.

Bullets also hit two other units, but no one else was hurt.

Recovery has been slow

Tinga was left with short-term memory loss and has trouble concentrating, but says the biggest challenges she faces are physical.

She is unable to move her left arm and leg, and remains confined to a wheelchair.

"The part of the brain that's damaged the most is the part of the brain that controls your left leg and left arm motor skills," she said. "So while my arm and my leg are OK, the messages — 'leg move, arm move' — don't get through.

"It usually takes me quite awhile to get dressed, and then it's all about the physiotherapy."

Police have told Tinga they have a suspect in mind and an arrest is imminent. But she says her focus is on recovering fully.