MIAMI (WSVN) - A South Florida woman is recovering in the hospital after, she said, a group of robbers attacked and shot her in Miami’s Midtown neighborhood, all for her iPhone.
Twenty-year-old Erika Jamison lay in her bed at Jackson Memorial Hospital, her right leg in a cast, one day after Monday evening’s robbery. “[It’s] very hard, and no one never should go through this, ever,” she said.
Jamison had recently moved to South Florida for a new job. “In broad daylight, you think you’re supposed to be safe,” she said. “The detectives told me I wasn’t in a bad neighborhood, and it’s terrible because, if those guys are still out on the street, that whole neighborhood is at risk, and I’m in the hospital suffering right now.”
The victim said her assailants beat, robbed and shot her in the leg, all for her smartphone. “I’m not from Miami, and I was planning on permanently moving down here,” she said. “It’s very traumatizing, especially [because], if they wanted to, they could have shot me in my head.”
On her day off, Jamison said, she headed out on foot to get a haircut. Just after 6:30 p.m., in the area of 34th Street and North Miami Avenue, she was confronted by a group of teens.
“I got four feet before I felt my leg snap, and I fell to the ground screaming, hollering in pain,” said Jamison.
The victim said her attackers pistol-whipped her in the forehead before snatching her iPhone and running away.
The victim said she feared for her life. “I was just hoping I was living. I prayed to God, begged the ambulance people, ‘Don’t let me go,'” she said.
Jamison, who grew up in Minneapolis, Minn., had dreamed of living in sunny South Florida. About a week ago, she made the big move to the Sunshine State.
Monday evening, paramedics wheeled her into the hospital, face and body were covered in blood.
Jamison said she was preparing for the worst. “I begged them, ‘Just call my dad or my mom, Just let them know I love them,'” she said, “because they’re a thousand miles away and can’t be by my side right now.”
Speaking to 7News on the phone, Jamison’s mother said she’s just happy her daughter is alive.
As City of Miami Police continue to investigate the violent robbery, Jamison has a message for her attackers. “You guys put me through an experience that no person should ever go through,” she said. “I hope you guys find peace with yourselves, and if you haven’t been arrested, turn yourselves in.”
Detectives are currently searching for surveillance video that may have captured the robbers. If you have any information on their whereabouts, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.
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