Every 2 hours and 36 minutes, an innocent child is the victim of gunshots. So, that means a child will be injured while playing in their own room or even while sleeping.

DEVASTATING!!!

On Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, I woke up to "Boom! BOOM!! Boom!!! BOOM!! BOOM!!!" WTF was that?! I jumped up, my cousin was already looking around and I see a hole in my living room. Really, I see two. So I ran to the kid's room. My kids were peacefully slumbering. Quietly and safely in their beds. But next to the bed was another hole. I turn around, there's another hole. I have a hole in every wall in my home that came through the wall from my neighbor's direction.

Seeing that my family was safe, I immediately went to my neighbor to see if they were ok and find out what happened. I knocked at the door. He answered. I told him, "I'm Angel from next door and a bullet just went through my whole house." He said "I'm Marco, and I heard it too." Toting a pistol, he explains to me that he must have been grazed and he thought it came from my direction. I assured him it did not come from my home and apologized for his injury, then I asked him to let me see the damage he had to his home. Low and behold, the gun shot started at his master bedroom right at his bed. That single shot started at his home and went less than a foot from my children's head while they slept.

I LOST IT AT THAT POINT.

I filed the necessary reports and notified my leasing office. The lady at the office said she was new and she was freaking out because I was on 10 already. She couldn't handle the anger, sadness, and frustration that I was giving off. The police knocked at his door. He didn't answer. They said they'd do an ongoing investigation.

At this point, it's been days since the incident. Since then, I have spoken to the actual management team in the apartments and told them about my situation, presented them with the police incident info, and urged them to come investigate. They said they would and they have not. There has been no action on the situation. The neighbor still lives here and I sleep in fear every single night. It doesn't help that I suspect that the neighbors were in a domestic squabble; they fight all the time. So what am I supposed to do?

As a single mother, I work from home for a good company and I have big goals. My first goal is to attain financial stability and have a substantial savings. My second goal is an 800 credit score. My third goal is to become a first time home owner. But all of that has made me realize that at any given time, all of that can be taken from me. With that being said, I AM SHELL SHOCKED! I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't breathe, I cry all day, and I moved me and my kids to a corner in my apartment because I can't help but think of "What if it happens again?" How will I live without my life? I'm Sick! And then I start thinking of all the children that have lost their lives to stray bullets and all of the families that are devastated because they lost their innocent loved ones.

Can't be! Now, My Goals have extended to a deeper purpose.

What ever it was that my neighbors were going through, could have killed me and my kids. I thank GOD I didn't feel like getting up that early. The trajectory of that bullet would have gone through me and my son exactly where I stand to hug and kiss him when he first wakes up.

I need money to start a non profit for awareness to gun safety for the sake of the kids. Maybe my neighbor wasn't well trained on gun safety and he didn't know how to handle his pistol, but my organization will help people learn to safely handle their guns and give support to families who have been victims to losing loved ones to stray bullets.

I know I cannot save the world, but like I said, I am Shell Shocked and I have to find a way to get through this. Please Donate to my fund as it will give support to people who really need it and educate those who don't know.

-Thank you in advance!

Angel Rice Bradley