NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A mother has been left heartbroken after her teenage daughter was shot and is still in the hospital.
That mother, Gina Pierre, has a message to the public as police continue to search for the person behind the gun, Monday.
Pierre released a video of her 15-year-old daughter, Melinda Michel, in intensive care. She said she hopes that by publicizing the video and pictures of her daughter, there will be some closure in the case.
“The reason I want the video out is I need help to catch somebody who shot my daughter,” Pierre said.
Michel was shot around 11:40 p.m., Thursday, outside her North Miami Beach home.
“I want to know why. Why somebody try to take my daughter away from me?” Pierre said. “Because she don’t have no problem with nobody. Why?”
Pierre has four children, Michel being her youngest. “I cry everyday. Every time I go to the hospital, I’m crying,” she said. “When I see my daughter have pain like that, why? I want to know why. What did she do to deserve that?”
Michel’s classmates at North Miami Beach Senior High said she is kind, sensitive and hopeful of the future. “It’s really painful,” Pierre said. “I don’t sleep. Since that happened, I cannot sleep.”
Michel is struggling to survive and is barely able to speak, but she can try to encourage her mother. “When she see me cry, she said, ‘Mommy, don’t cry. Be happy I’m alive. Don’t cry.’ She said, ‘Why? Why somebody do that to me?’ And I said to her, ‘Baby, thank God you’re alive.'”
The victim’s mother said she hopes her daughter will recover and prays for an answer as to why someone would shoot her 15-year-old.
According to North Miami Beach Police, no new information has been released on this case, as of Monday.
This is still an active investigation. If you have any information on this shooting, 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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