Girl shot six times protecting her mother in Michigan, US
Thursday, December 6, 2007
A 7-year-old girl in Detroit, Michigan, United States may have saved her mother's life when she jumped in front of a gunman, who fired six bullets into her body.
Alexis Goggins has been admitted to Children's Hospital of Michigan, where it is said that she is in stable condition. She was shot in an eye, left temple, chin, cheek, chest and right arm.
Despite the daughter's heroism, her mother Selietha Parker, age 30 was shot two times by her ex-boyfriend Calvin Tillie, age 29. One bullet hit the left side of her head and the other hit a bicep.
Tillie has been convicted of at least four other prior crimes and has been dating Mrs. Parker for only six months. Parker called Tillie to see if she and her daughter could stay the night at his home because they were without heat. When Parker arrived at his home, he was on the porch holding a 9mm caliber gun and ordered the two back into the car in which they arrived. Tillie said that he wanted to go to a street named Six Mile Road, but Parker said the car needed gas and drove to a gas station where she dialed 9-1-1 on her cell phone as she paid the store's attendant.
She then began to slowly walk back to the car and proceeded to pretend that more fuel was needed. When Tillie began to question Parker, he got angry, and began to shoot her. Before Tillie could shoot Parker a second time, Alexis jumped between the two and Tillie then began to shoot her too "without hesitation," according to Detroit Police.
Police then arrived on the scene of the crime, with Parker running to officers, covered in both her blood and her child's, saying Tillie shot them both. Tillie was ordered out of the car and dropped the gun, surrendering without resistance.
"[This girl is an] angel from heaven," said a long-time friend of the Goggins' family, Aisha Ford.
Tillie is in jail, pending a hearing on December 13, 2007 in the 36th District Court of Detroit.
Sources
- "Girl, 7, Shot 6 Times While Protecting Mother" — FOX News, December 5, 2007
- Associated Press. "8-year-old Detroit girl shot 6 times while defending mother" — MLive.com, December 5, 2007
- Norman Sinclair, Santiago Esparza and Jennifer Mrozowski. "Girl, 7, Shot 6 Times Saving Mom" — The Detroit News, December 5, 2007
- "8-year-old girl shot six times saving mom" — United Press International, December 5, 2007
- "Girl Shot Protecting Mom" — CNN, December 5, 2007 (Video)