A Texas mom says she is thanking God that her 17-month-old daughter is alive and “relatively well” after she was shot during the mass shooting that took place in Odessa, Texas on August 31.
The shooting claimed the lives of seven people and injured 22 others.
According to the GoFundMe set up by a friend of the 17-month-old girl’s family, Anderson Davis sustained several injuries as a result of the deadly shooting. The mom said in a statement texted her friend:
We are on a very long drive to Lubbock. Anderson is alive and that is a prayer answered bigger than I’ve ever had to pray. Her vitals are good. She is being flown to Lubbock while we drive. Not getting to fly with her is beyond painful. Anderson is 17 months old, has shrapnel in her right chest, which thank God is superficial. She has a hole through her bottom lip and tongue and her front teeth were knocked out.
Anderson’s mom continued, asking the world to pray for her family, other families also affected by the shooting, and even asked people to pray for the shooters:
She is alive. When others today are not alive. I ask you to continue praying for our hearts as we experience this, pray for complete healing of Anderson, pray for every other family in our same situation, or worse, today and pray for the shooters. Pray that whatever is causing them to do this will be defeated by God and they will stop shooting. The last we heard there are three shooters, over 20 shot, 4 or more dead.
The GoFundMe was set up to raise money for Anderson’s future medical expenses as she continues to heal.
And in a separate text message to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, Anderson’s mom said that despite her daughter’s facial injuries, she’s in good spirits. Anderson even wants to get up and run around.
Abbott read the text message he received from the mother during a press conference:
“Thank you all for praying. This is all of our worst nightmare, but thank God she’s alive and relatively well. Toddlers are funny because they can get shot but still want to run around and play. Her mouth is pretty bad but will heal and can be fixed. Thankfully it doesn’t seem like her jaw was hit, just lip, teeth and tongue. She is having surgery tomorrow to remove the shrapnel from her chest.”
The man responsible for the mass shooting was killed in a shoot out with police.
CBS News reports that three law enforcement officers were also injured and the ages of those who lost their lives range from 15 to 57. One of those seven was 29-year-old Mary Granados, who was driving the postal truck the gunman hijacked.