Latest news with #straybullet
CBS News
10 hours ago
- 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
3 days ago
- 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
4 days ago
- 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.
The Independent
4 days ago
- The Independent
Singapore cyclist struck by stray bullet during army's live-fire exercises
A man cycling with his friends in a restricted forest in Singapore was struck by a stray bullet during live-firing exercises by the armed forces, the country's defence ministry said. The man, 42, sustained a gunshot wound after a bullet slug got lodged in his left lower back on Sunday in the central part of the city state, the police said on Monday. The police said the man was cycling in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, Singapore's largest protected area, with his friends at 11.40am. He was between Upper Seletar Reservoir and Upper Peirce Reservoir in the forest area when the stray bullet hit him. At the same time, a live fire drill was underway in the area, which had been restricted for public entry, and signage was displayed along the trails. 'The public is not allowed to access that particular area, which has signage warning against unauthorised entry into a live-firing area,' the police said. The man was rushed to the National University Hospital by his friends, and the police was informed of the incident. The man received treatment for his not life threatening injury at the hospital, police said. The Ministry of Defence said the area had been restricted by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) for the live-firing. The drills, which were taking place 2.3km away from where the incident happened, stand suspended. 'During the time of the incident, an authorised live-firing activity was being conducted by the SAF at its Nee Soon 500m Range, about 2.3km away,' the ministry said. 'The SAF is working closely with the police and other relevant authorities to further investigate the circumstances of the incident. As a precautionary measure, live-firing activities at the Nee Soon 500m Range have been suspended,' it added. The police said the investigation in the case is ongoing, but no foul play is suspected.
Associated Press
03-06-2025
- General
- Associated Press
Connecticut man gets 33 years in prison for stray-bullet killing of Olympian's mother
WATERBURY, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut man was sentenced to 33 years in prison on Tuesday for the stray-bullet killing of a Puerto Rican Olympic athlete's mother. Jasper Greene, 23, of New Haven, was one of three men charged in the death of Mabel Martinez Antongiorgi on April 9, 2022. The 56-year-old woman was sewing in her home in Waterbury, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southwest of Hartford, when a bullet flew through a wall and hit her in the head. Martinez Antongiorgi's daughter, Yarimar Mercado Martinez, competed for the family's native Puerto Rico in rifle shooting at the Olympics in 2016, 2021 and 2024. She was in Brazil for another competition when her mother was killed. Greene pleaded guilty to murder in February. His lawyer did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment after Tuesday's sentencing in Waterbury Superior Court. According to court testimony, the fatal shooting stemmed from a dispute that one of the suspects, Franklin Robinson, had with a man who said hello to his girlfriend. Robinson, Greene and another man shot up a car parked on Martinez Antongiorgi's street, thinking the man was inside it. A bullet went into Martinez Antongiorgi's home. Another bystander was wounded but survived. A jury convicted Robinson of murder and other charges in 2023 and he was later sentenced to 90 years in prison. The third suspect, Levi Brock, has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges in the case, including murder, and awaits trial. At the time of her mother's death, Mercado Martinez lamented in social media posts that she 'couldn't even say goodbye.' 'Why you? Why this way?' she wrote. 'You were just sitting in your little house sewing, as you always did.' Martinez Antongiorgi and her husband of over 30 years, John Luis Mercado, moved to Waterbury from Puerto Rico a few years after the U.S. territory endured 2017's devastating Hurricane Maria. At the time of her death, they had set a date to renew their wedding vows, their daughter wrote at the time.
