MIAMI (WSVN) - A mother made a passionate plea in court following a shooting that left her daughter distraught.
The young girl witnessed her father being shot, and in the time since, her mother said, the state has done little to nothing to keep the shooter behind bars.
“I am here today to respectfully express my disappointment,” Aileen Campbell said, the mother of a now 10-year-old girl who witnessed her father being shot outside of a Miami restaurant nearly two years ago.
On Tuesday, Campbell appeared before a judge to share the trauma her daughter has had to endure.
“Your honor, one of my daughter’s hearings was cut in half, and to this day, they have not investigated the reason why that occurred,” she said.
The shooting happened back in February 2021, outside of the Hooters restaurant located on Coral Way.
Police said Quanesha Lewis shot Darren Campbell, Aileen’s ex-husband, in the stomach following an altercation all while Campbell’s then 8-year-old daughter watched.
“Somebody help my daddy,” Campbell’s daughter said.
“I’m shot,” Darren said.
Lewis said she was only defending her family after being threatened by Campbell.
Following the shooting, Lewis was booked and charged with a host of crimes including attempted murder, child abuse and improper discharge of a firearm.
She bailed out of jail just a short time later and was placed on house arrest.
Aileen said that is not enough.
“They say she’s on house arrest, but she doesn’t even have a GPS, although she fled a crime scene,” Aileen said.
The judge, however, is standing by the court’s decision.
“Saw the video, and for those reasons, made a decision that miss Lewis was not a danger to any one else at that time, held her to house arrest and allowed her to work,” the judge said.
Darren is now learning to walk again, and while he is progressing, Aileen said her 10-year-old daughter will forever be traumatized.
“There was no reason for her to witness this situation,” Aileen said.
A Stand your Ground hearing will determine how and whether this case goes forward.
The hearing is set for March 20.
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