A mum was shot dead when she shielded a group of schoolchildren from gunfire just after they were dismissed from an elementary school, according to various news reports.
According to a police report; Zurana Horton of Brooklyn New York “was seen moments before she was shot hovering over several children to protect them as shots was fired.”
The 34-year-old was there to pick up her 11-year-old daughter from school when an unknown assailant opened fire on the schoolchildren of Public School 298, on 85 Watkins Street. The selfless mum of 13 died on the scene.
According to police estimation; the unknown gunman who was situated on top of a 5-story-building opposite of the public school fired about a dozen shots with an automatic pistol onto Watkins Street. The reasoning behind such a despicable act of violence is yet unknown but might have links to a gang war that has been going on for quite some time in the gang-violence ridden neighbourhood.
An 11-year-old girl and another parent were also hit by bullets during the Friday after-school shooting but are both are in stable condition.
A life remembered
Horton’s death leaves her children, ages ranging from 1 1/2 to 18, without a mother. Horton’s mum, Denise Peace said she will care for seven of the youngsters, while Oniel Vaughan, 42, will have custody of five of his children with Horton.
“They miss their mom,” Vaughan told reporters.
“Their mother always cared for them. I want them to remember her as a good woman, as a good mother trying to save people.”
Devastated 15-year-old daughter Jenisha said she saw her mother’s body on the sidewalk but had no idea it was her as the teen walked past the grisly crime scene.
“I was wondering where my mother was,” Jenisha said.
“I found out later [the body] was my mother. My little sister [Alexis] said, ‘Mommy died. She got shot.”
Horton’s 16-year-old son, Tyquran, said he and his mom “were like best friends. I like to play with my mom -- we would play Monopoly and Wii.”
Heroic sacrifice
The fact that Horton's first instinct was not to run for cover, hide, or protect herself is nothing short of awe-inspiring. Instead, she shielded the ones most vulnerable, the kids streaming out of class on what they thought was just another Friday afternoon.
It is sad that avoidable acts of violence such as these are still going on in our world, but knowing that there are people like Zurana Horton who is willing to sacrifice herself to protect the innocent and helpless is a bittersweet reminder that the world is not such a horrible place after all. Extreme unexpected moments in life bring out the best and perhaps the worst in people and it were to happen to any one of us, let’s just hope that we will go the way Horton did- giving it all for the sake of others.
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Source: TheSacramentoBee.com , TheStir.Cafemom.com , TheNewYorkPost.com
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