Teen Shot In The Arm After Her Graduation Parade In Auburn Gresham
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Teyonna Lofton should be preparing for her virtual high school graduation Wednesday. Instead she is nursing a bullet wound to her arm.
CBS 2 has exclusive video of the terrifying shooting in the midst of her graduation parade.
The shooting happened at gas station in Auburn Gresham, and the teen reached out to CBS 2 because she wants answers about her case. She was one of dozens shot across the city in the midst of looting on May 31, but she is not counted in the official numbers.
Teyonna's friends, family and teachers drove by her house on May 31 to celebrate her graduation from Perspectives Leadership Academy.
"We had a whole parade. People were driving past!" Teyonna said.
The vice president of her school's National Honor Society said she had never been happier.
"It was one of the best days I was having so far," Teyonna said.
She changed into a gray running suit and stopped by a local gas station to grab a drink.
That's when the SUV pulled up, and shots were fired at the crowd.
"I got shot, and when I called out for help nobody came," Teyonna said.
On the video the wounded 18-year-old is seen crawling toward the ice box outside the store.
On the video the wounded 18-year-old is seen crawling towards the ice box outside the store.
"I saw my friend, and she said, 'T, you're shot!'" she said.
Her friend used her phone to dial 911, and then they waited.
Teyonna's call for help was one of 65,000 calls 911 dispatchers received that day. That is 50,000 more than usual.
They could not wait.
"It's been minutes. I've been calling. They're not coming," Teyonna said.
Teyonna's mom got there before the ambulance. She said she was not surprised.
The bullet pierced an artery, and Teyonna was losing blood quickly.
"I knew if I closed my eyes, it was going to be something," she said. "When I asked them the nurse said, 'No, don't close your eyes.'"
More than two weeks later the recovering graduate wanted to know the status of her case.
That weekend 85 people were shot -- 24 fatally.
But Teyonna's is not one of those cases.
Chicago Police say they have a record of her 911 call but no incident report, likely because she was gone by the time police got there. A spokesperson encouraged her to file a report now.
It's one more thing to add to her list, which includes a mission to stop the gun violence in her neighborhood.
"This is my first time getting shot but this is not the first time this has happened in my community," she said.
Teyonna has a long road to recovery. She had to have a vein grafted from her leg to improve the blood flow in her arm. The recovery will likely push off her college plans but she is determined to attend in the near future.