A pregnant woman was shot while in a parked car at a 7-Eleven, forcing her to give birth early. Now more than a month later, there are still no arrests in the case.
It’s a miracle that both Shanell Forbes and her baby survived. But to this day she can’t understand who would want to shoot her.
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WATCH HERE“I have my moments that I just want to give up because it’s so much," Forbes said. "But I have two beautiful girls that need me so I have to fight."
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On June 1, Forbes' life changed in a matter of minutes.
“We stopped at the gas station to grab refreshments,” she recalled.
She and her boyfriend were heading home to Lakeworth when they made a pit stop at the 7-Eleven off Northwest 17th Avenue near 95th in Miami-Dade. Forbes stayed in the car.
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“I was so tired I was exhausted,” she said. “Just from the day because I worked earlier that day, having to get up early, I’m pregnant, so it’s a lot going on. And I just remember I’m going to recline, I’m going to close my eyes for a couple minutes until he gets back in the car.”
But before her boyfriend got back, she woke up to a strange feeling in her leg. She turned around and saw an outline of a person shooting at her and instantly felt another hit.
“That was the one that entered my back,” she said. “At that point, I was just thinking about my baby.”
She was six months pregnant with her second daughter. The shooter hit Shanell twice; puncturing her kidney and bowels. She was left with a drop foot, but the bullets missed the baby.
Still, the trauma forced an early birth. The baby girl was born weighing 2 pounds and 4 ounces.
Now, the mom and baby are recovering. The little girl is now almost 5 pounds and breathing on her own.
But Forbes wants the shooter brought to justice.
“Why? Why? Look at what you did to us. Look at what you put us through," she said. "This is something still we have to live with for the rest of our lives."
Because of her injuries, she cannot work. She is also spending time at the hospital with her daughter. If you would like to help with expenses the family is taking donations.
