Mother of 1-Year-Old Boy Struck by Gunfire From Houston Police Speaks Out

The mother of a 1-year-old boy who was shot after Houston police opened fire on a robber earlier this month has spoken out about the incident.

According to KRPC-2, Daisha Smalls was putting gas in her car on March 3 with her 1-year-old baby, Legend Smalls, in the back seat. Smalls was entering her car when a robber hopped out of another vehicle and attempted to force her out of the car. She screamed that she had a baby and refused to leave. “I was just scared for my son’s life,” Smalls told reporters.

The robber eventually forced his way into the car and it was at this point Smalls said Houston police opened fire, striking and killing the robber, but also hitting her child. Smalls says that the bullet was removed from her son’s brain, but fragments remain and he is still in the intensive care unit. She added that he is currently struggling to move and breathe on his own.

This is such an unnecessary tragedy and I’m honestly at a loss for words. This whole thing is just a damn shame, and this child forever has to deal with the repercussions of an officer not showing just a bit of restraint, and a robber who had little concern for how their actions affected others.

“My baby didn’t deserve to be shot, especially by the police,” Smalls said during a news conference. The Houston Police Department has only identified the officer who fired as a 15 year veteran of the force and said that they opened fire because they saw a weapon on the robber.

Smalls is represented by multiple attorneys, including civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump. They accuse the Houston Police Department of not following their own policies by not identifying the robber before they opened fire, and intend to file a lawsuit in the coming days. It is unclear whether the HPD has opened an investigation into the shooting or if the officer will face any disciplinary action.