'You Feel Helpless': Victim's Mother Speaks Out After Son Is Struck At Banquet Hall Mass Shooting
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A victim's mother is speaking out after she said her son was among those shot at the El Mula Banquet Hall on Sunday. She said she's grateful he survived, and is praying for the other victims and their families.
Angelica Green, who is a nurse, tells CBS4's Peter D'Oench that her 24-year-old son Darrell Green and another loved one, could have lost their lives.
She said, "My son was hit once in the abdomen area. My nephew-cousin was grazed in the abdomen and hit three times in the leg."
Miami-Dade PD said 20 people were transported or drove themselves to at least seven hospitals in Miami-Dade and Broward, including Palmetto General Hospital, Aventura Medical Center, the Jackson Memorial Hospital Ryder Trauma Center, Kendall Regional Medical Center, Jackson North Medical Center and Memorial Hospital West and Memorial Regional Hospital.
MDPD said three victims are in extremely critical condition and 17 others are in stable condition.
Chad Harris said his 19-year-old daughter was among the victims.
"This is war at home and it's crazy now," he said.
Angelica Green said, "My son called me and my husband when it was close to 1 o'clock. He called us telling us that it hurts. It hurts and that he wants us to know that he loves us. My husband was saying stay with us and we hopped in the car and we were talking with him trying to keep him alert."
She continued, "Apparently a friends of theirs put maybe four people that were wounded in to a car and drove them to Palmetto (General Hospital) and we came from Miramar and when we were got there we were told they transferred them over to Ryder. And me being a nurse, I work at UMH. Knowing that they didn't transfer them through a helicopter I said maybe they are still stable since their going in with fire rescue."
She was worried.
"We still don't know because this is so severe. There are so many children that had been affected by this. I say children because he is always going to be my child. He is an adult, decent kid. A college grad. Sometimes children can put themselves in harm's way and make things happen but in this situation when he didn't even get a chance to go in the club and others are going in. They said the guys came in with ski masks and hoodies and just started shouting up the crowd," she said.
Green added, "That was the most horrifying call for my son to be calling his father. They have a very close relationship and to be telling us, 'Mom, I just want you to know that I love you and I have been shot, it is burning and it hurts.' And for me to be a medical professional personnel, you know, you help others and you save them but when it is your own, you feel helpless. There is nothing you can do. I am just grateful he is still here. I lost my mom and today I though not my son as well. I am grateful he is still here and I am praying for the other families as well."
She said, "I hope that the kids are able to figure out who did this."
Green said her son is in the ICU trauma unit and said his condition has stabilized.
She said this has been a difficult weekend for her. Her 82-year-old mother passed away on Saturday.
D'Oench also spoke with Green's aunt Cynthia Johnson at Jackson Memorial Hospital, who said, "I am thankful to God that he is alive. I understand that he was shot four times. This is very senseless and it has to stop. We as a community need to continue to come together and make a solution to stop gun violence. My prayers are for the families of the children involved and I pray for justice. I am very devastated by what happened. This has been like a bad dream."
Her sister Cheryl Johnson says her nephew was merely celebrating the long holiday weekend with dozens of others when the unthinkable happened.
"He's a good kid. A college grad. He was promoting the music. This shouldn't have happened" she said.
If you know anything, you are urged to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS.
