11-year-old girl recovering from injury
Child’s jaw wired shut, will require expensive surgery, family says
The 11-year-old Bethlehem girl shot in the face last week when she answered the door to her home can’t speak with her family and friends because her jaw is wired shut, according to her aunt.
Nadine Jackson said her niece requires a slew of cosmetic surgeries to repair the damage to her face costs the family hopes it can afford.
“She’s already going to have to live with these emotional scars, and we want her to have a semi-normal life,” she said Wednesday. “She’s going to have to go back to school eventually, and she’s up against a lot. People can be cruel. We don’t want people hurting her more.”
Though her niece hasn’t been able to talk since the shooting, the girl has not let that stop her from sharing what’s on her mind, Jackson said. She writes things down on paper or, more often, sends texts to her family.
“She has been very strong,” Jackson said.
To raise money for the girl’s medical costs, Jackson set up a GoFundMe webpage, with a goal of $10,000.
“For everyone who has donated so far, we just really, really appreciate it,” Jackson said. “We know this will help her so much in the long run and it means so much to our family.”
Before the traumatic experience, the Nitschmann Middle School student was known for brightening the lives of those around her at the Full Gospel Cathedral of Praise International Inc. on Ferry Street in Easton, lead pastor the Rev. Elveta Phipps said.
Lively and outgoing, the girl would fill parishioners’ Sundays with the steady beat of her drum set as she played along with the church band during services,
Phipps said.
“She is always smiling and very happy,” Phipps said Wednesday, recounting how the entire family is very involved in the church. “She’s a witty kid and really an intellectual. She just loves her books.”
Bethlehem police say the child was gravely wounded whenshe answered a knock at 11:35 p.m. Sept. 9 at her home, where she lives with her grandparents in the 1900 block of Fairland Avenue. Police don’t believe the attack was random, but also don’t think the girl was the intended target.
The girl’s assailant is still on the loose, but authorities have said they don’t believe the public is in danger. The Morning Call is withholding the name of the girl and her grandparents because of the girl’s age and the circumstances of the shooting.
Neighbors reported hearing four or five gunshots that night, but didn’t recall seeing anything suspicious. The girl was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery.
Phipps, who has been in touch with the family, said her congregation has been praying regularly for all of them. The emotional trauma likely will run deep for the girl, her grandparents and a teenage brother and aunt who were also at homeat the time of the shooting.
“They saw what happened, and they’re all shaken up at this time,” Phipps said. “It has been traumatic for all of them.”
Jackson said her niece has been happy to text with her loved ones, but there’s one thing she hasn’t mentioned.
“She hasn’t said anything about that night,” Jackson said. “We don’t think she’s ready to talk about it.”
When someone else mentions anything about the shooting, Jackson said the 11-year-old seems to block it out. She said her niece and the others in family whowitnessed the attack will talk to counselors to help process what happened.
Jackson said the violence has especially been hard for her mother the 11-year-old’s grandmother who was deliberate about moving out of New
York City a decade ago to find a safer home. The quiet Bethlehem neighborhood appeared to be just that until last week.
“She wanted to move out of the city to come to a safe neighborhood. And then this happens here?” Jackson said. “You expect that to happen in New York, not here.”
Phipps has been gathering donations from the members of the church, which also has a location in Newark and seven others in Jamaica. The grandparents, she said, are leaders at the Ferry Street parish and have spent years helping those less fortunate.
“They have been a blessing to the community, so I have no doubt that people will come and bless them in this time of great need,” she said.
Those who wish to help can reach out to the Full Gospel Cathedral of
Praise in Easton, Phipps said.
Bethlehem police, meanwhile, hope the community can help with the investigation. Police announced Tuesday that they were seeking surveillance footage from neighbors that captured roads or sidewalks in the Rosemont neighborhood and beyond from 11:45 p.m. Sept. 9 to 2:30 a.m. Sept. 10.
Police say the shooter mayhave been wearing a face covering.
Police specified the following roads: Pennsylvania Avenue between Chatham Road and Union Boulevard; Eaton Avenue between Pennsylvania Avenue and Highland Avenue; Beverly Avenue between Eaton Avenue and Eastman Avenue; Ridgelawn Avenue; Eastman Avenue; Fireside Drive; Andover Road; West Rosemont Drive; Manchester Road; Amherst Road; Fairland Avenue; Carol Avenue; Home
stead Avenue; East Rosemont Drive; Moffit Avenue; and Raymond Avenue.
“So far we’ve had a positive response,” Capt. Benjamin Hackett said. “But we still think there’s more camera footage to be had.”
He said police are considering widening the request and are urging anyone with security footage — even if they don’t believe it contains anything of value — to let police have a look.
Hackett asked anyone with video that can be shared electronically to send a link to bhackett@bethlehem-pa.gov. Tips and information can be directed to 610-865-7180 or through the department tip line at 610-6916660. Callers can remain anonymous.