Latest news with #straybullet
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Daily Mail
Adorable girl, 3, is killed after attending July 4 party with family as cops finally arrest suspect
A three-year-old Washington DC girl has died after she was hit by a stray bullet while sitting in a car watching Fourth of July fireworks. Honesty Cheadle was taken off life support on Monday, days after she was rushed to the hospital in the early morning hours of July 5, her Great-Uncle Raymond Cheadle told WUSA 9. She had been in the car around 3am with her father when she was struck in the upper body by the bullet outside his apartment. She was then rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Larry then carried his little girl up three flights of stairs because he 'didn't know what to do,' her aunt Tonia told the The Washington Post. The little girl was being dropped after being taken to a cookout party, she told the outlet. After two days on life support, little Honesty succumbed to her injuries. 'This child didn't bother nobody,' Raymond told WUSA 9. 'She didn't deserve to get hit.' Raymond said Honesty's parents are in shambles after losing their baby girl, especially the father. 'That baby was his world, the baby's mother was his world,' the great-uncle said. 'And it's just sad y'all took that from them, from us.' The shooting occurred as striking their car, shattering the window as fireworks rang out nearby. Charles Rucker, 24, of DC, was arrested on Friday for the shooting and police believe he targeted the family's car, NBC Washington reported. He fired multiple rounds into the car after approaching and then ran off. The other occupants of the vehicle were unharmed. 'This seemed to be an intended shooting. It was not one where we believe at this time that there were other individuals that were being sought at that time,' Chief of Police Pamela Smith said. Rucker has been charged with first-degree murder and it is unclear what his relationship to the family is at this time. 'This arrest is a testament to the diligent and hard work of our police officers and detectives that has occurred around the clock over the past week,' Smith said. The family started a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral expenses. The little girl was remembered for her 'innocence' and for being 'full of light, personality, and so much promise.' 'We were not prepared for this — emotionally or financially — and are now facing the painful responsibility of laying our baby girl to rest without any insurance in place,' her aunt Tamika Butler wrote.
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Yahoo
2-year-old boy hit by stray bullet Saturday night while watching fireworks
A two-year-old boy watching fireworks was shot by a stray bullet following a clash among juveniles in an eastside Detroit park on Saturday night, Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison told members of the media in a livestreamed press conference. The toddler sustained minimal injuries and will survive, Bettison said. He said that during "some type of altercation" among juveniles a block away at a park July 5, shots were fired and struck the toddler. Saying he was "appalled" and "upset" by the incident, Bettison pledged to step up its enforcement of the city's curfew. The curfew prohibits children aged 15 and under to be out without an adult between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and prohibits teens ages 16 and 17 to be out unsupervised from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. More: 2 suspects charged in fatal shooting at Detroit's Skinner Playfield "Just the fact that we have a lot of unsupervised juveniles at a park, and understand that it's the holiday weekend, understand that folks are watching fireworks, but at the same time parents still have the responsibility to know where their children are and that they are supervised," he said. Bettison said the department has detained two persons of interests in the incident, though details were still preliminary at the time of the news conference. Contact Lily Altavena: laltavena@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Boy, 2, hit by stray bullet Saturday night while watching fireworks
CBS News
20-06-2025
- CBS News
Aurora police investigate after woman struck by stray bullet while in bed
A Colorado mom is worried and angry after she was struck by a stray bullet while inside her home in Aurora. It was after midnight when she heard the gunshots, and then the bullet came through the wall. A bullet pierced the wall of the home in Aurora before striking the woman inside. CBS Danielle Smith has a new window to the outside in her bedroom. It's a tiny round one where a bullet came through. She can see daylight clearly. "There's another hole in the base of my daughter's floorboard coming from the outside and there's another hole in my neighbor's bedroom," said Smith. The bullet that made the hole continued through her arm, just inches from her head, after she had gone to bed Wednesday night to watch television. Three shots rattled the duplex after midnight. "The fourth shot actually is the one that hit me, and I just felt my shoulder explode," she shared. She wore a bandage, and it continued to bleed on Thursday evening. It was the second floor of a building in the 13000 block of E. 13th Place in Aurora, a few blocks from the Anschutz Medical campus. Police said she didn't appear to be the intended target and believe a stray bullet may have been fired from somewhere nearby. Officers said they didn't find any shell casings in the area around her home. The police department encouraged anyone with information on the shooting to contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers. Smith says she grew up in the area and moved back about a year ago. She has been constantly worried about crime. Danielle Smith was struck by a stray bullet while in her home in Aurora. CBS "People yelling about who stole whose drugs and who stole whose girlfriend, and it's a nightmare," she said. "The neighborhood is so far gone that if even the police don't want to come out here anymore to help, there's nothing that can be done." She says police have told her in the past they don't want to come to her street. Aurora police did not return a call late Thursday to inquire about her claim. Smith worries not just about herself, but her 16-year-old daughter who is holding down a job. "She works all day. So when she comes home on the bus at night, it's not a safe place for her to walk at all," she said. Other neighbors we talked with echoed concerns, although one parent said she was not concerned for her children. At the Lopez-Gomez home in an apartment on the street, father Wilson Lopez expressed concern for his young children. "The area is quite dangerous," he said in his native Spanish. "You hear a lot of shooting, a lot of police also at night… the area has always been, as we say, 'hot,'" he explained. In the aftermath of the shooting, Smith is hurting both physically and mentally. And planning to move when her lease is up. The duplex where the bullet struck a woman inside. CBS "I blame the city. Because it's not the first time, and it's definitely not going to be the last. I just think the last of police presence in this neighborhood is diabolical. It is scarce," she said. Officers said they didn't find any shell casings in the area around her home.
Daily Mail
17-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Little girl who loved to dance is left totally paralyzed by stranger's evil act
An 11-year-old girl has been left paralyzed after she was struck in the head by a stray bullet while walking home from school. Willow James, from Harvey, Illinois, was with her father and cousin when she was almost killed by the errant shot on May 28. The promising dancer and athlete was left paralyzed after the bullet narrowly missed her brain, but 'fractured her skull and caused serious trauma', her parents said. Her family said it was a 'miracle' she survived, but the shooting 'has impacted her ability to walk, speak, and process emotions', a GoFundMe for the girl said. Three weeks after the shooting, Chicago authorities have now arrested suspect Graylin Waters, 29, after a gun linked to the shooting was allegedly found in a search of his car. Waters is facing charges of aggravated battery with a firearm and was ordered to be held in the Cook County Jail while he awaits trial. Willow is undergoing extensive rehabilitation and is 'relearning how to walk', her family said, adding that the stray bullet 'has turned our world upside down'. The girl's family said in their fundraiser that the shocking incident devastated Willow's promising childhood, as they described her as 'a force of nature'. Willow previously won three back-to-back basketball championships and was named MVP of her team this year. She was also a cheer captain and 'track star'. Describing her as, 'a dancer and singer with endless energy and talent', Willow 'lit up every room - and every field, court and stage she walked onto', the fundraiser said. 'Her spirit is still there, fighting hard every day through therapy. We believe in her strength more than ever.' Her family said she is receiving care at one of the top rehabilitation centers in the country, and although she is slowly recovering, they have 'noticed changes in her behavior and personality'. 'Her medical team is helping us understand that these are part of the brain's healing process,' they said. Willow is 'carrying deep emotional scars', they added, and is undergoing therapy to get over 'the most terrifying moment of her life.' Following Waters' arrest, Harvey Police Chief Cameron Biddings said the shooting had 'shaken' their community. 'From day one, our detectives worked tirelessly to identify and apprehend the suspect,' Biddings said. 'With the help of our community, we've taken a dangerous individual off the streets and recovered what we believe to be the weapon used.'
CBS News
17-06-2025
- CBS News
Man charged after 11-year-old girl shot by stray bullet in south Chicago suburb
A man was arrested and accused of firing the stray bullet that hit an 11-year-old girl in the head in the south Chicago suburb of Harvey on May 28. Willow James was riding home from school with her dad and cousin when gunshots rang out near 158th and Paulina streets. A stray bullet pierced their car, hitting Willow in the head. Her father rushed her to Ingalls Hospital in Harvey. She was transferred to the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. She is undergoing intensive physical therapy as she fights to recover. Nearly three weeks later, police arrested 29-year-old Graylin Waters. Investigators said they found a gun in his vehicle, believed to be the one used in the shooting. Harvey officials said Waters was taken into custody and charged with a felony count of aggravated battery with a firearm. He is scheduled to appear in bond court on Tuesday morning. Earlier in the month, Chevlyn Nicholson, Willow's mother, spoke out in a plea to find the shooter. "As a mom, getting that phone call that your 11-year-old baby girl has been shot in the head is very devastating," said Chevlyn Nicholson. "Yet I am very grateful that she's still alive." Nicholson is expected to speak during a media conference on Tuesday, announcing the charges in the case.
