February 21, 2008

Read a news article on www.cnn.com, www.foxnews.com, or www.msnbc.com and write a brief summary and reaction to the article.

Girl who took bullet for mom slowly heals

WHO: Seliethia Parker, Alexis Goggins
WHERE: DETROIT, Michigan
WHEN: Wed February 20, 2008
WHAT: Alexis Goggins climbed aboard a special bicycle and maneuvered through hospital hallways, beginning the months of physical therapy she needs to recover from six gunshot wounds.
WHY: To many people, the soft-spoken 7-year-old is a hero after she threw herself across her mother just as a gunman was about to shoot the woman in an SUV. The young girl bears several scars from the December 2 shooting, including a long, thin surgical line stretching from one side of her hairline to the other. Her right eye, which was blinded in the attack, has also been removed.
HOW: The mother and daughter were getting a ride from a friend when Parker's former boyfriend emerged from the shadows outside Parker's house and jumped into the vehicle. He then forced the friend to drive at gunpoint for several minutes. Under the pretense of needing fuel, Parker's friend stopped at a Detroit gas station to call 911. Inside the SUV, Parker pleaded with the gunman not to shoot. As he was about to open fire, Alexis cried, "Don't hurt my mother!" and jumped into her mother's arms from the back seat. Despite her daughter's efforts, Parker was shot twice. Alexis is learning-disabled and lags behind other youngsters her age. As a result, police say, it may never be known whether Alexis meant to shield her mother from the bullets. But Parker has said that if her daughter had not put herself in between she might have been killed.