Shooting at plaground leave cousin's shot

 

Two young cousins who sustained gunshot wounds at a playground in Brooklyn are on the path to recovery as of Tuesday and are sharing their harrowing experience. The incident occurred at Hilltop Playground shortly after 9 p.m. on Monday, located at the intersection of Dean and Thomas Boyland streets. Nine-year-old Ruanna Brown was shot in the leg, while her 11-year-old cousin, Empress Alexander Davis, suffered a gunshot wound to her back.

"I could feel my shoulder, and then my cousin was screaming about a leg or a knee," Empress said.

The bullet penetrated Ruanna's knee; however, fortunately, her bone remained intact. "I'm feeling OK, I was a little nervous so I didn't talk too much but the doctors were trying to make me talk a lot so I wouldn't fall asleep, so I didn't really have a lot to say, but they were asking me questions about my summer," Ruanna said.

The Empress continues to be hospitalized; however, she is anticipated to return home shortly and is eager to resume her life as an ordinary child. While seated on a park bench, Empress' mother observed the girls at play when the sound of gunfire erupted. The playground is located directly across the street from their residence.

"My heart fell out of my chest to hear my daughter was shot. First thing I thought was lord take my life and not hers," said Melissa Alexander, Ruanna's mother. "I'm lost for words. I'm devastated. I'm hurt. I cried all night, all morning. I just want my baby to be safe."

 Authorities are seeking two male suspects and report that a minimum of six shots were discharged from two distinct firearms. Investigators have indicated that the girls were not the intended victims, and efforts are underway to locate the two individuals responsible for the gunfire at the park.

Ruanna's mother has this to say to the gunmen: "Get a life. There's so much more constructive things to do. You're putting children's lives at stake. Innocent children. I'm sure you have someone that looks up to you and you are letting them down."

Ruanna's mother expresses the following message to the assailants: "Get a life. There's so much more constructive things to do. You're putting children's lives at stake. Innocent children. I'm sure you have someone that looks up to you and you are letting them down."