CINCINNATI — An 11-year-old girl is in the hospital after being shot in the head at an apartment complex in North College Hill (NCH), police said.
It happened shortly before 11 p.m. Tuesday on Bising Avenue.
According to a police report, when officers arrived at the scene, they discovered Jahleeah Williams lying on her back with a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators said she had a "faint pulse" before being transported to Cincinnati Children's Hospital.
Williams' mom and dad said Wednesday she was still in the ICU, but was stable. They said doctors told them the next 72 hours would be critical.
"It sucks and it hurts and it's hard to look at my baby in there fighting for her life," said Wanita Morris, Williams' mom. "She was just fighting for her life in January because she has Crohn's and we didn't know she had Crohn's and she was in here struggling for 10 days. And to see her finally starting to get better and now this happens."
According to the incident report, a 17-year-old, an 18-year-old and two 20-year-olds are involved. Police did not say if any of those people are being considered as suspects.
Investigators said in the incident report that the girl's brother and a family friend were both covered in blood when they arrived. The friend told police that they were playing a game inside when they heard a gunshot come from outside.
Police have not said if they are searching for a suspect.
Morris found out what had happened when she got a call from her other daughter while at work.
"My older daughter called me and at first, I couldn't make out what she was saying because she was just screaming and crying and when I finally got her to calm down and take a breath, she kept saying my sister's dead," she said.
When she got home, she found both of her daughters alive, but Jahleeah had been shot in the head.
She had moved her family from Avondale to North College Hill, hoping to feel safer.
Data from gunviolencearchive.org shows there have only been two shootings so far in North College Hill in 2023 and there were 3 in 2022.
Morris said she did feel safer in North College Hill up until this point.
"It felt great and now it's just — I don't even want to go back to that apartment now," she said.
Morris and Williams' dad, Jason Williams spent the day at Cincinnati Children's, at one point, joined by people from Jaliah's school, Rockdale Academy for a prayer vigil.
"She's been at Rockdale since like 1st grade or 2nd grade so they all know her, they all love her, they're all concerned about her," Morris said. "It feels great to know her teachers actually care and her principal cares."
Morris said her daughter loves to draw and dance and would be preparing for the end of 6th grade right now if she weren't in the ICU.
"She's supposed to be getting ready to go to 6th grade graduation, and go to Kings Island with her friends for the 5th and 6th grade trip, but instead she's here on a ventilator," she said.
Investigators initially told us that the child victim is 12, however according to the incident report, she is an 11-year-old.
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