An 11-year-old girl who was shot in the head outside a Hallandale Beach McDonald’s has been released from the hospital, days after she and her father were wounded in a shooting that investigators said left them caught in the crossfire.
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The girl and her father spoke publicly Friday for the first time since the June 27 shooting.
“It feels like I have another chance, thank you for Jesus, thank you for everything I have,” the 11-year-old said. She said she still has bullet fragments in her head.
Her father, Oscar, was shot in the hip. The pair had been sitting inside an SUV in the McDonald’s parking lot with two other children while the girl’s mother was inside the restaurant.
Investigators said they were not the intended targets.
Hallandale Beach police arrested 18-year-old Ralph N-Kosi Blue III in connection with the shooting. Detectives said Blue was arriving for work at the McDonald’s when he began shooting at someone who was running toward him.
According to an arrest report, several people had gone into the restaurant two days earlier looking for Blue, who was hiding in the back.
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Investigators said the father, the 11-year-old girl, a 2-year-old and a 5-year-old were waiting inside the SUV while their mother was inside the restaurant when the shooting occurred.
“To tell the truth, it was a very difficult moment,” the children’s mother said.
The family said they are grateful the girl survived, calling her recovery a miracle.
“Thank you for the people who helped me and thank you for everybody here,” the 11-year-old said.
The family’s attorney said the family is waiting for police to complete their investigation before deciding how to move forward, including the possibility of a civil lawsuit.