A Miami woman and her son were shot as they pulled out of an apartment complex’s parking spot.
MIAMI (CBS4) – A Miami woman was released from Jackson Memorial Hospital on Monday after she and her son were shot in the parking lot of an apartment complex by a bicycle riding gunman.
According to police, Barbara Smith-Brown was pulling out of a parking spot in the 1900 block of NW 5th Place, when gunshots rang out.
“I never thought in a million years that I would be in a hospital, that I would be shot or my son would be shot,” said Smith-Brown.
Smith-Brown’s sister, Debra Fahed said she had been at a family gathering at the apartment. When Smith-Brown was leaving, she heard two men on bicycles arguing but didn’t think much about it.
“She heard the shots but she didn’t ‘hear’ the shots, she didn’t actually hear all of them, she didn’t even know she was hit,” said Fahed. “She heard her other son, cause he was in the back seat, he screamed but he didn’t get hurt.
Police say a bullet went through the passenger side door, striking 8-year old Cody in the arm and Smith-Brown in the knee.
“I thought I was going to die and I was feeling that I wanted to stay alive,” recalled Cody.
Her other son, 12-year old McKinkely who was in the back seat, was not hurt physically but has suffered emotionally.
“He says he can’t sleep because he still thinks about the sounds of the bullet. He still thinks about me saying ‘Get Down’, he still sees the pictures of me holding Cody with blood all over the place,” said Smith-Brown.
The shooter got away on a bicycle.
Smith-Brown, who has been a Phys Ed teacher and track coast at Norland Senior High for the last five years, said the shooting was life lesson she wishes her children never had to learn.
“Well I’m getting a little bit emotional cause I never let nobody see me cry and I always tell my students no matter what you’re going through don’t let anybody see you cry,” said Smith-Brown.
Cody said the only good thing to come out of this is that he helped save his mom’s life because the bullet hit him first and his arm took the brunt of the impact.
“She would have died if I wouldn’t have got shot,” said Cody.
“My sister, my family, that’s my heart,” said Fahed.. “I’m very angry because it could have been tragic, I could have lost my sister and both my nephews.”
