HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. — An 11-year-old girl who was shot in the head outside a Hallandale Beach McDonald’s last weekend is continuing her recovery, thanking first responders, doctors and her parents as she spoke publicly for the first time Friday.
The girl, whose name is not being released at the request of police, remains at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital after she was wounded during a shooting Saturday outside the McDonald’s in the 800 block of West Hallandale Beach Boulevard.
“Thank you for the police. Thank you for the firefighters. Thank you for the doctors. Thank you for everything,” the girl said. “It feels like I have another chance.”
Dr. Wendy Carcamo, who works in the ICU at JDCH in Hollywood, said the bullet narrowly missed causing far more serious injuries.
“In medicine, millimeters can be a very vast difference for everyone,” Carcamo said. “That could have been a difference between life and death. That could have been a difference between not being able to be standing here today.”
Doctors say bullet fragments remain in the girl’s head, and she faces a lengthy recovery.
According to investigators, the girl’s mother had gone inside the restaurant to pick up food while the girl, her father and her two younger siblings, ages 2 and 5, waited in an SUV.
Police said an altercation in the parking lot led to 18-year-old Ralph N-Kosi Blue III, a McDonald’s employee, opening fire at another person. Instead, investigators said multiple bullets struck the family’s vehicle.
Police said the girl was hit in the head, and her father, Oscar, was shot in the leg. The two younger children were not injured.
The girl’s father has since been released from the hospital.
During Friday’s news conference, the family expressed gratitude to the medical staff caring for their daughter, saying she is expected to celebrate her birthday next month.
The girl also had a message for her parents.
“Thank you for rescuing me. Thank you for my mom and dad for taking me here. Thank you, mommy and dad,” she said.
Jail records show Blue faces two counts of aggravated battery and two counts of aggravated assault. Police said the dispute that led to the shooting began outside Hallandale Beach, and the investigation remains ongoing.
A GoFundMe has been created to help the family with medical expenses as the girl continues her recovery.
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