‘I was in so much shock’: 16-year-old girl shot in car on Thanksgiving recovering

CHARLOTTE — A 16-year-old girl is thankful to be alive after being shot while riding in a car down on Thanksgiving Day near Uptown Charlotte.

The girl, who asked not to be identified, was riding with her mother and her brother on Thursday to get a haircut when someone fired a gun into their car. The bullet started flying on Interstate 77 as they were merging from Wilkinson Boulevard.

“All of a sudden, we hear, ‘Pop, pop, pop, pop,’ and I’m like, ‘Who the heck is shooting on the highway on Thanksgiving?’” said the girl’s mother. “Next thing I know, my daughter starts screaming.”

Police are still trying to find the stranger responsible for the shooting. The family isn’t sure if this was a case of road rage or totally random.

“I just find it very random because who would shoot at a car on the highway?” said the girl’s mother.

The bullet flew into the back of the car, then went through the seat.

“The best way I can describe it is that my thigh felt hot, and then blood, and then I panicked,” the girl told Channel 9.

They pulled over at a gas station near Tyvola Road and called police. Channel 9 was at that scene when police began investigating. First responders arrived and took the girl to the hospital.

“The medics came and they were just trying to calm me down because I was in so much shock,” the girl said.

Doctors weren’t able to remove the bullet from the girl’s leg. The family told Channel 9 that doctors didn’t want to cause more damage. But she was still able to return home that evening.

“I’m doing OK, but I’m having trouble sleeping because it just plays over and over in my head,” she said.

The girl’s mother said when they returned home from the hospital, they went ahead and finished Thanksgiving dinner, trying to keep her spirits high on a holiday that will remind them of this year for years to come.

“I’m very thankful, because that could have been our last day,” the girl’s mother said.

Police haven’t released any other information about the shooting other than that it’s under investigation.

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