The family of a 15-month-old Oakland girl who was hit by a stray bullet while riding in a car is speaking out.
The parents of Maya are still in shock and hoping for a full recovery after the little girl was shot while riding home from a laundromat with her mother, father and 5-year-old sister.
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WATCH HERE“The minute I heard the gunshots, I leaned over to cover my wife and I looked back and tried to cover my daughters, but they were already crying,” said Jose, the victim's father.
The shooting happened in Oakland at the intersection of 12th Avenue and East 15th Street on Monday.
Jose did not want his face shown on camera but explained he didn’t realize Maya had been hit until they got home.
Surveillance video showed Maya’s parents frantically racing her to a nearby fire station for help.
“When I saw the blood, I just wanted to get to the car as quickly as possible to get her help,” said Jose. “We called 911 but did not get a response, and at that point we went to the fire station, which is a block away. We went there to get help because the bullet hit her side.”
Maya, who the family said is known for her smile and dancing, is still sedated and recovering.
She has already undergone two surgeries to repair internal organs damaged by the bullet, and doctors told the family more surgeries may be needed.
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SIGN UP Jose explained that he never got a good look at the gunman because he was too busy trying to shield his family from the gunfire.
Investigators said surveillance video showed a man at the corner of 11th shooting at vehicles, adding that it's clear Maya’s family was not the intended targets.
“I want them to get whoever did this,” Jose said.
As Jose waits for his daughter to recover, he said that he's already making plans to move out of the city and refuses to raise his kids in Oakland.
“I’m frustrated," he said. "You call the police and they don’t show up or they get there late. You can’t do anything in Oakland anymore."
Maya’s family told NBC Bay Area that doctors are waiting to see how she responds to her latest surgery before estimating how long her recovery will take. They said it could still be weeks before she is released from the hospital.
