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Innocent family caught in drive-by.

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"A mother and her family caught in the crossfire." "A young child shot in a drive-by." "A family faces a long road to recovery."  


Unfortunately, you see/hear these tragedies on the news far too often.  You hurt and pray for the victims and their families, and will often literally say, "My God, I cannot imagine..."  But as you must, you go on with your life, truly never in a million years imagining yourself in such a place. 

Well, on Sunday, July 1, 2018  that unimaginable tragedy struck my family.  My niece, Taina, and her children were caught in the middle of a drive-by shooting while leaving their apartment and entering their vehicle. Three daughters and a son were shot.  Mahogany, 15, was shot once. Maya, 14, was shot six times. Zulay, 5, was shot three times, and her 9 y/o son, Josue, was grazed. She had to drive her dying children to the nearest hospital she could think of.  By all accounts one or more of them should not be here, as inches even "centimeters"  determined their fate.  But God is good, and if not for His grace are they still alive today.  They are grateful to be here, but they are hurting.  While they never really had much, they now have less.  So much has been taken from them.  Despite this, they have been asking how the others are doing. Their selflessness is inspiring.  The kids are angels and warriors at the same time. 

However, their struggles are far beyond the physical wounds.  The kids keep reliving the incident.  The 5 and 9 y/o are scared that when they are finally released, they are going to be "be shot again at home."  Their innocent world has been taken from them.  There is a long road ahead, and quite honestly no one is sure if there will ever be a full recovery.  Some emotional wounds may never heal, and they will have to learn to adjust and live with the trauma.  No one should ever have to experience this; innocent children should not have to suffer like this.        

They need your help. Please. They no longer have a vehicle, as it was bullet riddled, blood soaked, and taken by the police for evidence.  This is not covered by their liability insurance, so there is no replacement.  The medical bills will likely pile up as the family will spend countless hours in surgeries and therapies.  We have no idea what will happen with their place of living.  Their struggles are likely everlasting.  Our family has come together the best we could to try and support Taina and the kids, but we don't have the money or resources to get the family back on their feet. 

So I turned to you all.  I am trying to raise money to cover the cost associated with this tragic event and ease their burden, even just a little.  I am hoping to raise enough money to get her a reliable used mini-van or SUV so that the kids can ride safely and comfortably to all their appointments and everything else.  I am also trying to relocate them to a new apartment where the kids can begin a new chapter in their lives without the fear of returning to the place where they nearly lost their lives.  In terms of medical bills, we have no idea how that is going to work out and what we will have to do. 

Anything you could provide today will be greatly appreciated and certainly go a long way. Please keep them in your prayers.  Thank you.  God bless.


Link to news story and video of the incident:
https://www.nbcchicago.com/on-air/as-seen-on/chicago-shooting-east-garfield-487160321.html?t=106 


Update: Latest news story and interview:
https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2018/07/03/3-sisters-speak-out-after-drive-by-shooting/ 

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Donations 

  • Sara Bruhn
    • $10 
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer and beneficiary

Demetrio Javier
Organizer
Chicago, IL
Taina Lopez Rios
Beneficiary

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