Stray Bullet Hits Woman On 4th Of July
FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) – April Johnson has always been afraid of fireworks. But on Thursday, she set her fears aside and attended a 4th of July family celebration near Ft. Lauderdale.
It's a decision she came to regret.
As she was sitting on the sidewalk in front of her brother's home at 216 NW 28th Avenue, with her one year old nephew on her lap, she felt a sharp pain in her left thigh. She was hit by a stray bullet. Miraculously her nephew escaped harm.
"I jumped up. When I grabbed my hand it was covered in blood, I knew it wasn't from fireworks," she said speaking from her apartment in Ft. Lauderdale where she is on crutches and has a large bandage around her leg.
"It burns, it really burns. I can't compare the pain to anything," said Johnson. "I delivered a baby with no epidural and it hurt worse than that."
Johnson said the bullet came out of thin air. She doesn't believe anyone on the street where she sitting, fired the gun.
Her brother agrees.
"Everything was quiet, until she screamed, " said Jevan Johnson.
He applied pressure to stop the bleeding.
"It was a very dangerous situation. People shouldn't shoot guns in the air. It's gotta come from somewhere," said Jevan Johnson.
Johnson says after that, the family celebration was over. He still has a whole box of fireworks he never got to use.
April still has the bullet lodged in her leg. Doctors are afraid removing it will cause more damage.
She hopes BSO investigators catch the person responsible.
"This is not fun. I'm alive. I don't think they deserve life in jail, but some type of punishment," she said.
Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers (954) 493-TIPS.
