NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - A 15-year-old girl is speaking out for the first time, Wednesday, since being shot inside her home in May.
Melinda Michel, the 15-year-old victim, shouted for her mother after being shot inside her North Miami Beach home. She said she’s thankful for her life
“I thank God everyday for letting me be alive right now,” said Michel. “I just don’t know what my mom would do.”
After the shooting, Michel was hospitalized in critical condition. “I was trying to open my eyes, and I couldn’t open my eyes, and I’m like ‘Oh my God,'” she said.
On May 19, just seven days after the shooting, North Miami Beach Police arrested 24-year-old Genesis Anderson. He was charged with attempted first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit attempted first-degree murder and possession of a firearm.
Michel said she had met Anderson five months prior at a neighborhood park. She said Anderson was after someone else when he and another person arrived to her home on May 11.
“I was sleeping, and then somebody knocked,” said Michel. “I thought it was brother, and then I opened the door. As soon as I opened the door, he just pulled out the gun, then shot me. I went straight into shock, so I held onto the sofa and closed the door with my leg, and then ran into my brother’s room, and that’s when I fell because I couldn’t breathe no more.”
Michel said she wanted to survive for her mother.
“I knew I was here for my mom, and I’m not leaving her,” said Michel. “I need somebody to be here with me, I need an angel to get me through this because I know I got this. Like, God, you got me. You already let me survive through this surgery. You told me I got something. ‘Something is coming for me.’ That’s all that kept me up.”
Michel hopes to get out of the area, though her family cannot afford to move out of the house where the shooting occurred. She wants to graduate from North Miami Beach High School and pursue her dream of becoming a homicide detective.
“I just want to move out, to be honest,” she said. “I’m tired of being here knowing that I’m probably not safe because there’s still one more lurking around, not knowing when he’s going to pop up or what.”
The investigation remains ongoing and police are searching for one other person who was at the door with Anderson when Michel was shot.
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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