14 April 2006

This story REALLY struck me today. It's about a 5-year-old girl who testified today against a man who shot her --three years ago-- as she played on a third story porch with her sister. The gunman apparently had a beef with a family on the first floor of the house. The punk was a lousy shot. The bullet intended for someone on that first floor actually hit Kai Leigh Harriot in the spine, shattering her vertabrae, leaving her paralyzed from the chest down. Kai Leigh faced her accuser today in court. Talk about guts. She apparently broke down on the stand, but when she retained her composure, she told the jury she forgave the man. FIVE years old. She'll NEVER walk again. She'll never play hopscotch. Or play tag. Or dance at her junior prom or dance with her dad on her wedding day. Damn. (The judge, FYI, sentenced the gunman to 18 years.) The story is HERE.