Girl aged 7 shot six times saving mum

[Dante]

DETROIT -- A 7-year-old-girl is being hailed as an "angel from heaven" and a hero for jumping in front of an enraged gunman, who pumped six bullets into the child as she used her body as a shield to save her mother's life.

 

Alexis Goggins, a first-grader at Campbell Elementary School, is in stable condition at Children's Hospital in Detroit recovering from gunshot wounds to the eye, left temple, chin, cheek, chest and right arm.

 

"She is an angel from heaven," said Aisha Ford, a family friend for 15 years who also was caught up in the evening of terror.

 

 

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 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.

 

Tillie ordered them into the vehicle, cursed at the women and angrily told Ford to drive him to Six Mile Road, she said.

 

"He looked like he was enraged and didn't care what he did. I knew if we went to Six Mile, he would kill us," Ford said. Instead, she told him she needed gas and drove to the Fast Stop Gas station in the 5000 block of East Seven Mile Road, a station that requires customers to pay the attendant inside.

 

"I figured if he got out to pump the gas, I was going to take off," Ford said.

 

Instead, Tillie gave her $10 and told her put in $5 worth of gas.

 

Ford said she dialed 911 on her cell phone as she walked into the station.

 

"The first operator clicked off and I dialed again and told that operator a guy with a gun was holding me hostage with a mother and baby and threatening to kill us. I told her the name of the gas station and then she said they didn't have a unit to send."

 

Ford said she paid for $5 of gas and slowly returned to the vehicle, stalling for time as she handed Tillie the change. She said she kept stopping and starting the pump, hoping the police would show up.

 

"I told him I needed more gas and took money out of my purse and went back into the station," she said. The attendant, Mohammad Alghazali, 30, said he noticed Ford was crying and she told him what was happening. He called 911 as he heard shots coming from the vehicle.

 

"It was very scary. She (Ford) was scared and screaming when the guy was shooting. I was scared, too. I was on the phone talking to the police when he started shooting," he said

 

Parker told police that Tillie said Ford was taking too long

 

She said she pleaded with him but he pointed the gun at her and shot her in the side of the head. She told police she was shot in the arm as she lunged at Tillie.

 

Before Tillie could fire again, Alexis jumped over the seat between her mother and the gunman and begged him not to shoot her mother.

 

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.

 

Alghazali said a police car on a street nearby arrived in less than a minute after his call.

 

Marvin Bodley, a Detroit Public Schools attendance agent, spent two days at Alexis' hospital bedside and said it's miraculous that she's alive.

 

"What a courageous, courageous little girl," he said. "You see more bandages than child," he said. "It's a horrific sight."

 

Bodley said Alexis receives special education services at school, in part because of a weak left eye, which is the result of a massive stroke she suffered as an infant.

 

Ford said doctors at the time had predicted that when Alexis got older she would have trouble with tasks such as writing, but she is now able to write her name.

 

"She is a good little girl who is very protective of her mother," said Tonya Colbert, Parker's cousin.

 

Tillie is being held in the Wayne County Jail facing kidnapping, assault with intent to murder, child abuse, felony firearms and habitual criminal charges.

 

A preliminary examination is scheduled for Dec. 13.

[Razz]

That's horrific, that girl really is an Angel. I can't understand how someone could do that to a child.

[triforce_keeper]

There are some bastards in this world.

 

And that's one hell of a little girl, bless her.

 

Hope he gets jailed for a very, very long time.

[Hellfire]

Fuck... no words.

Damn.

[ShadowV7]

Wow. This is something you just don't want to read about. Must of been horrible for a mother to see their child to go through that.

[Goron_3]

A tear came into my eye when i saw the title of that.

 

That's incredible. Love is such a powerful feeling. I mean, i'd take 6 bullets for my mum anyday, but wow i can't believe that it actually happened.

[Guest Stefkov]

Makes me sick how humans can do something so serious because of something so petty, or even nothing at all.

It's quite amazing to read it was a 7 year old. You just don't think it's in a young girl to throw herself in the way and save someone.

If only...

[Brian Mcoy]

Mcoy wants to see where this article came from....

[Letty]

How did she not die? :s

[ShadowV7]

For such a young age, you would think she would run in fear. I bet majority of people would do that regardless of age. She has real courage, it's times like this I want people that do these things to just die.

 

They just shouldn't be allowed to live. It's disgusting how anyone can commit crimes like this.

[Iun]

Bless her.

 

I seriously hope that one day the Second Amendment is repealed.

[Guest Stefkov]

For such a young age, you would think she would run in fear. I bet majority of people would do that regardless of age. She has real courage, it's times like this I want people that do these things to just die.

 

They just shouldn't be allowed to live. It's disgusting how anyone can commit crimes like this.

I know what I would get you for Christmas then =P

In all seriousness, I agree. Bring back the death penalty. Screw everything, criminals should be punished, dependant on their crime. Something like this, where he's harmed the public should warrant death imo. He's done it once, there's nothing stopping him from doing it again if he knows he'll get a few years in jail.

[Paj!]

I wonder how much better the situation would have been if the guy couldn't just walk into a shop and buy as many guns as be wanted?

 

Fucking hate guns. Fucking hate being allowed to buy guys, then use them to harm innocent people. Fucking USA.

[Shino]

I amazed that a 7 year old has a higher sense of morality than that asshole. Just what makes a person this fucked up?

[Jonnas]

Jesus Christ. That little girl deserves all of our respect.

 

Also, I hope that bastard suffers for as long as possible. People like him don't deserve to live.

The right to bear arms is one of the stupidest rights in the modern world. This is just another reason to hate it.

 

Anyway, here's hoping she lives. It's a miracle she's still alive.

[Emasher]

What a psychopath.

[Slaggis]

I wonder how much better the situation would have been if the guy couldn't just walk into a shop and buy as many guns as be wanted?

 

Fucking hate guns. Fucking hate being allowed to buy guys, then use them to harm innocent people. Fucking USA.

 

Exactly. America is being completely hypocritical. Blaming all the violence everywhere on terroists, when people can just walk into a shop and buy a gun. It's fucking wrong.

[Emasher]

Exactly. America is being completely hypocritical. Blaming all the violence everywhere on terroists, when people can just walk into a shop and buy a gun. It's fucking wrong.

 

Many people would argue that guns are used for hunting ect. Banning guns would bring down the number of hunting accidents too right. I wonder if Mr. Gore had become president instead of that head case Bush, would we even have this thread.

[Slaggis]

Many people would argue that guns are used for hunting ect. Banning guns would bring down the number of hunting accidents too right. I wonder if Mr. Gore had become president instead of that head case Bush, would we even have this thread.

 

Exactly. It complete bull. The country as a whole needs a good shake up and Bush has proved he obviously isn't the person to do it. I mean, what country would just let people buy guns? It's mental.

 

(Gore really should run)

[Zell]

How did she not die? :s

 

That's what I was thinking. Especially how she got shot in the head four times (once in the temple) and once in the chest! Pretty lucky isn't she...

[Oxigen_Waste]

Exactly. It complete bull. The country as a whole needs a good shake up and Bush has proved he obviously isn't the person to do it. I mean, what country would just let people buy guns? It's mental.

 

(Gore really should run)

 

Well, it's a proven statistic that legally bought weapons have actually been saved more innocent lives than taken. Most people who kill innocents use illegal firearms, wich will always be out there, so. This is just one among many cases.

That's why it's so hard to ban guns now.

Anyway, I think they should be banned, just informing and all that.

 

That girl should get a gold statue somewhere. It actually gives me hope for the lost cause that is humanity...

[Emasher]

(Gore really should run)

 

Never going to happen.

 

Well, it's a proven statistic that legally bought weapons have actually been saved more innocent lives than taken. Most people who kill innocents use illegal firearms, wich will always be out there, so. This is just one among many cases.

That's why it's so hard to ban guns now.

Anyway, I think they should be banned, just informing and all that.

 

That girl should get a gold statue somewhere. It actually gives me hope for the lost cause that is humanity...

 

Yes but illegal guns were usually legal at some point.

[Monopolyman]

Well, as this is turning into right to bear arms debate, I might as well add my two cents.

 

I don't think it is necessarily as simple as gun crime equals gun violence. I mean, there are several other countries in the world where guns are legal, and they seem to function perfectly. The problem in the USA is their lack of gun control because of the way some Americans interperate the constitution. We all know that the second amendment states that every American has the right to bear arms, so whenever the US government passes or tries to pass a law concerning gun control, many Americans consider it unconstitutional, and is eventually struck down by the Supreme Court.

 

That's what pisees me off about the US and it's political system. It binds too closely to it's constitution. I wish the Supreme Court would have the right to say "Well, it may be unconstitutional, but this is just ridiculous." In fact, even if the Supreme Court was against a gun-control law, the law can still be in place anyway. The Supreme Court has no power to enforce their judgements, so the President or Congress can go against it if they want, but alas, that'll never happen.

 

Anyway, back to my point. You can't just simply ban guns, when infact the problem goes a little deeper.

[Emasher]

Well, as this is turning into right to bear arms debate, I might as well add my two cents.

 

I don't think it is necessarily as simple as gun crime equals gun violence. I mean, there are several other countries in the world where guns are legal, and they seem to function perfectly. The problem in the USA is their lack of gun control because of the way some Americans interperate the constitution. We all know that the second amendment states that every American has the right to bear arms, so whenever the US government passes or tries to pass a law concerning gun control, many Americans consider it unconstitutional, and is eventually struck down by the Supreme Court.

 

That's what pisees me off about the US and it's political system. It binds too closely to it's constitution. I wish the Supreme Court would have the right to say "Well, it may be unconstitutional, but this is just ridiculous." In fact, even if the Supreme Court was against a gun-control law, the law can still be in place anyway. The Supreme Court has no power to enforce their judgements, so the President or Congress can go against it if they want, but alas, that'll never happen.

 

Anyway, back to my point. You can't just simply ban guns, when infact the problem goes a little deeper.

 

So change the definition of arms to not include guns.

[Monopolyman]

So change the definition of arms to not include guns.

 

I don't quite understand what you're saying here.

 

If you mean to change the constitution, that's practically an impossibility. I mean, they couldn't even introduce an amendment about equal rights for women, so I think tinkering with the 2nd Amendment might be a bit too far out there to reach.