An 8-year-old girl was shot right outside her home in San Bernardino as family members were holding a fish-fry fundraiser to raise money for the funeral of another family member who was killed in a car crash.
The girl, Khali Allen, was shot in the face and neck, her family said in an exclusive interview with NBCLA.
Ronda Wilson described her granddaughter Khali as a spirited young girl, even after the horrific shooting, during which the girl suffered critical injuries.
"She is a little diva! Eight years old," Wilson said.
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Now little Khali is recovering, just being able to speak after the July 22 shooting.
"The injury on the left cheek went through her face and out her neck here," Wilson said. "Things were shattered her veins, her nerves, all that stuff."
The family was holding a fish-fry fundraiser for Wilson's grandson Nehemiah. Tragically the 18-year-old, who went by the nickname Nemo, as killed two and a half weeks ago in a car crash. Family members have been holding fundraisers to help pay for his funeral expenses.
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"Everything happened so fast on that evening. It'll stay with me for the rest of my life," Wilson said.
On July 22, the family held a fish fry at their home in the 1300 block of North Herrington Avenue. Around 8:30 that evening, witnesses say two men walked toward the home and started shooting.
"We started hearing pow pow pow. We all thought it was fireworks," Wilson said. "Everybody knew to get down. 'Get down on the ground, get down on the ground.'"
She said she heard more than 20 gunshots. When it finally stopped, the gunmen ran away and Khali was the only one who had been hit.
"All I remember was blood, because I say I was in shock," she said. "I know when that happened my granddaughter was scared. She couldn't defend herself. No one could do anything."
She says her family has no idea who the shooters are, or why they opened fire.
"For them to do this, the perpetrators -- I don't want this to go unpunished. They need to be found," Wilson said.
As San Bernardino police investigators try to track down leads, family members have started a GoFundMe to help pay for Khali's medical bills.
Fortunately the little girl is now alert and talking, but Wilson says she has a long and difficult road to recovery.
"I just want to bury my grandson, and look after my Khali. That's it that's all I want," she said.
Anyone with any information about the random shooting is asked to contact Detective N. Alvarez at alvarez_ni@sbcity.org or at 909-388-4851.
