WARMINGTON: Wounded teen told her dad 'I don't want to die'
Article content
After being shot in the head, 14-year-old Alyssa Driscoll told her father, “daddy, I don’t want to die.”
With the teen now critically injured in a bed at Sick Kids, her dad, Brandon Driscoll, who spent Family Day at her side, said his daughter showed some signs of progress on Monday.
Recommended Videos
tap here to see other videos from our team.
WARMINGTON: Wounded teen told her dad 'I don't want to die' Back to video
tap here to see other videos from our team.
“Right now it seems like only one side of her body is functioning — like her hand and leg … but she will need most definitely therapy to get better,” Brandon said Monday.
“Oh, she was also able to know her name and my name and I asked her her age and she answered correctly — 14 — and then I said, ‘What is our last name?’ and she said ‘Driscoll.'”
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Taken off life support but still listed in critical condition, Alyssa was hit by a bullet inside her apartment at 25 Stong Crt. at around 3 a.m. Friday.
Toronto Police officers continue to work at figuring out what happened in that apartment. It’s believed a gun went off accidentally.
“My home has been destroyed because of the crime scene,” added Driscoll. “I just renovated and bought the kids all new bedroom sets and a TV and the TV is destroyed because the bullet went out her head and into the TV.”
He said that his daughter asked to wear his gold bracelet for good luck “and it’s on her hand now.”
Brandon passed on his comments to the Toronto Sun through family friend Michelle Larabie.
“The paramedics and doctors said that if he had not squeezed her head as hard as he did she would have died,” said Michelle.
WARNING:Graphic image in gallery below
Alyssa is pictured in a handout photo. Photo by handout /Postmedia Network
In this photo provided by the Driscoll family, Alyssa is pictured at Sick Kids hospital suffering from critical injuries. Photo by handout /Postmedia Network
Rita Stuckey has started a GoFundMe campaign for her granddaughter, Alyssa Driscoll, who was critically injured in a shooting last Friday.Photo by GoFundMe /Toronto Sun
Full Screen is not supported on this browser version.
You may use a different browser or device to view this in full screen.
Michelle said doctors have been clear the girl will face major issues going forward, adding “the doctors already said she will not be the same Alyssa as she was before the shooting.”
But her dad still has her.
As a single father, he has been raising two daughters for the past nine years. He’s devastated.
“He’s broken,” added Michelle.
The girl’s grandmother, Rita Stuckey, has launched a GoFundMe campaign which had garnered nearly $2,800 by Monday evening. With a goal of $20,000, money raised through the effort will help pay for medical support once the teen is released from hospital.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
“Our whole family is devastated but staying strong to support Alyssa through this terribly tragic time,” wrote Stuckey.
It is believed that Brandon was asleep at the time of the shooting and immediately tended to his daughter after the shot woke him. Four visitors fled after the shooting.
Police have been tight-lipped about their investigation.
Michelle said that “Brandon’s “going through hell.” So is Alyssa whose words after the shooting still resonate.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.