Mother speaks out after 9-year-old daughter shot

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    INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (KCTV/KSMO) — A 9-year-old girl shot Friday in Independence is recovering from a gunshot wound to her back. The bullet struck her colon and fractured her pelvic bone, according to her mother Brittany Feo.

“I’m blessed. I’m thankful. I could’ve lost my kids,” Feo said with tears in her eyes.

Feo spoke with KCTV5 News outside of Children’s Mercy Hospital where her daughter is still struggling to stand, walk and eat. She is expected to make a full recovery.

The shooting happened Friday night before 8 p.m. near U.S. 40 Highway and Sterling Avenue in Independence.

Feo said she and her boyfriend packed up Feo’s 9-year-old and 1-year-old daughters into the car for a coffee run to the nearby QuikTrip.

At the store, they saw a man and a woman they used to be friends with. The two got into a car with two other men Feo did not know. They did not exchange any words and the family got back into their own vehicle.

“As we sat there, they kind of moved their vehicle and kind of watched us for a few minutes. And then as we started leaving, we got on the street that’s right by V’s restaurant. And that’s when they started shooting at us,” Feo said.

Surveillance video from a nearby V’s Italiano Ristorante shows the shooting happening as the vehicles drive down 40 Highway.

“I feel like they were attempting to kill us,” Feo said.

Feo said at least 30 shots were fired from the suspect vehicle. She, her boyfriend, and her 1-year-old baby were not injured.

She didn’t realize until later that her 9 year old had been shot.

“I grabbed the car seat and pulled it down as far as I could. I tried to pull her down as far as I could but she had her seatbelt on so I couldn’t pull her down that far. But I laid her flat on the seat,” Feo said.

Feo’s boyfriend dropped her and the children off at Walmart so they could get help, not knowing if the suspects would come back to continue the attack on their car.

“They were shooting at us. We were not shooting at them,” Feo said. “Honestly I’m tired of hearing that we did this, that we put our children in jeopardy. I didn’t put my children in no type of situation. I would never do that to my kids. We went to QuikTrip just like we do every day.”

Feo said she and her boyfriend had not spoken to either of the two people they knew for over a year, but the two had threatened her and her family before. She says she never took the threats seriously.

Sunday night Independence Police announced they had arrested three people, including the two people Feo knew.

Monday, the Jackson County Prosecutor announced charges against 33-year-old Steven G. Abernathy for unlawful use of a weapon, aggravated assault, and armed criminal action.

Feo said she does not know Abernathy. She said police detectives told her Monday that the two people she knew in the suspect vehicle were let go and were not facing charges. Prosecutors and police have not responded to KCTV5 News to confirm that.

Meanwhile, police are still searching for another person of interest in the case.

“I could have lost both of my kids. Somebody else that had nothing to do with it could’ve been really hurt. You just don’t do things like that. You don’t shoot at people. If you have an issue with somebody, you talk it out, you fight it out. You don’t shoot somebody’s car,” Feo said.

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