Girl takes bullets for Mom

[chitoryu12]

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When a horrible thing happens, no one likes to sit around and think about how it could have been more horrible. But if someone was to do that, it's usually possible to make a bad situation worse by putting a child into jeopardy. That's why this story, from Detroit, makes the word "sad" seem thin and imprecise.

There's a common, depressing story behind it -- enraged ex-boyfriend decides to shoot woman. (It might be a little more common in Detroit, which was recently named the country's most dangerous city, a designation that touched off a number of local protests and national news analyses.) But what happens when the woman's seven-year-old daughter (some reports have her as eight) jumps between her mom and the gunman? In this case, the seven-year-old, Alexis Goggins, was shot six times, suffering gunshot wounds to the eye, left temple, chin, cheek, chest and right arm. Here is an excerpt from a news report:

The girl's mother, Selietha Parker, 30, was shot in the left side of her head and her bicep by a former boyfriend, who police said was trying to kill Parker. The gunman was disarmed by police and arrested at the scene of the shooting, a Detroit gas station. Police identified him as Calvin Tillie, 29, a four-time convicted felon whom Parker had dated for six months.

Parker, who was treated and released at Detroit Receiving Hospital, is now at her daughter's bedside. She declined to comment Tuesday. The drama began to unfold just before midnight Saturday, when Parker called [her friend Aisha] Ford and asked if she and Alexis could spend the night at Ford's home. "She said she had no heat and they were very cold, and I said , sure I'll come and get you," Ford said.

Ford said she drove her burgundy 1998 Ford Expedition to Parker's home on Dwyer. She said as Parker and Alexis walked up to her vehicle she saw a man on the porch, who she assumed was a furnace repairman. She said Alexis, who walks with a limp, slipped momentarily on the icy sidewalk and as she helped the girl up, she saw the man and recognized him as Tillie. He was holding a gun.

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The police report said Tillie "without hesitation" pumped six shots into the child.

As police arrived, they saw Parker, covered in blood, running from the truck, screaming, "He just shot my baby."

The officers said Tillie came out to the vehicle holding a blue steel 9 mm semi automatic and dropped the weapon when ordered to do so. Officers said they found Alexis huddled on the floor under the steering wheel, covered in blood, surrounded by spent cartridge casings, a spent bullet on the floor and teeth on the seat. There were bullet holes in the windshield and blood inside.

The gunman was disarmed and arrested at the scene.

The girl is in stable condition, though she's already fighting an uphill battle -- when she was an infant, she had a massive stroke, and now receives special education due in part to her limited eyesight.

A fund has been set up for the girl through her elementary school. Does an incident like this raise all kinds of uncomfortable questions about justice (both justice for Tillie and the injustice of Alexis's shooting), fate, fairness, and tragedy, or is it the kind of event that raises no questions at all, only emotions?

I'm trying to decide whether or not jumping in front of her mother was the right thing to do. While letting yourself get blasted is a little stupid, she did keep her mother from getting killed.

[The Duchess of Zeon]

At her age, no such considerations were possible. She simply wanted to protect her mother without a recognition being possible about what that would entail.

[Adrian Laguna]

I'm trying to decide whether or not jumping in front of her mother was the right thing to do. While letting yourself get blasted is a little stupid, she did keep her mother from getting killed.

The cold logic says that the right thing to do is let the mother take the bullet. Parents should risk their lives to protect their children, not the other way around. If the daughter were older I would argue she acted in a foolish manner. Since she is 7 or 8 years old, and thus cannot be expected to have understood the gravity of the situation, I instead say that the sentiment her actions is commendable.

[Lagmonster]

I'm just glad they both survived. That's the only real happy ending to fucked up shit.

[Adrian Laguna]

I'm just glad they both survived. That's the only real happy ending to fucked up shit.

I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but the girl is not out of the woods yet. "Stable" means that she's not dying at the moment, not that she will be survive. If she does make it, she'll very likely be frail and sickly for the rest of his life. Unfortunatley, I think that it would be quite the miracle if she sees middle age.

[Molyneux]

I pray to whatever might be listening that the girl pulls through; no child deserves to be shot. The mother must be going through hell, too.

[Androsphinx]

I'm trying to decide whether or not jumping in front of her mother was the right thing to do. While letting yourself get blasted is a little stupid, she did keep her mother from getting killed.

"The third principle of sentient life is the capacity for self-sacrifice, the conscious ability to override evolution and self-preservation for a cause, a friend, a loved one. " - Delenn

[CaptainChewbacca]

That girl is getting CRAPLOAD of presents this year.

[Enigma]

I'm just glad they both survived. That's the only real happy ending to fucked up shit.

I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but the girl is not out of the woods yet. "Stable" means that she's not dying at the moment, not that she will be survive. If she does make it, she'll very likely be frail and sickly for the rest of his life. Unfortunatley, I think that it would be quite the miracle if she sees middle age.

I think the child is already frail and sickly since when she was an infant had suffered a massive stroke that affected her eyesight. Now this? I'm hoping she'll pull through and I hope this won't result in another stroke.

[LadyTevar]

Gods... I saw this, and I still don't know how to react.

The little girl didn't do this out of bravery, it was a mere 'Don't Hurt My Mommy!" reaction. I have the feeling this wasn't the first time she saw the boyfriend hurt her mom, most cases like this involve some level of domestic abuse/violence. Poor baby.

Now, I have to wonder if the mom's wishing she'd left him earlier, called for help sooner, all the what-ifs and I-shoulda's that haunt every survivor. Poor mommy.

I want to rant about the shooter ... but that would just start off the usual vengeful rounds of 'how to punish the offender horribly' that this kind of tragedy usually brings about.

Instead, I will simply say God be with them... and Justice be Swift.

[Darth Wong]

Now, I have to wonder if the mom's wishing she'd left him earlier, called for help sooner, all the what-ifs and I-shoulda's that haunt every survivor. Poor mommy.

I feel bad for her, but I also have to ask what the fuck she was thinking, dating a four-time convicted felon. You know this guy obviously wasn't a clean-cut sort of guy. She must have known what kind of low-life she was dealing with; why get involved with such a person in the first place?

[Alyrium Denryle]

Now, I have to wonder if the mom's wishing she'd left him earlier, called for help sooner, all the what-ifs and I-shoulda's that haunt every survivor. Poor mommy.

I feel bad for her, but I also have to ask what the fuck she was thinking, dating a four-time convicted felon. You know this guy obviously wasn't a clean-cut sort of guy. She must have known what kind of low-life she was dealing with; why get involved with such a person in the first place?

Cycle of abuse. Psychologically it is very easy to get into that sort of trap. Dad was an abusive lowlife and served as the woman's model for men, then she gets into an abusive relationship and gets the cycle of *beatdown* then the *honeymoon* period. Etc etc etc. The latter can work on anyone...