MINNEAPOLIS, MN – The beginning of the New Year turned tragic when celebratory gunfire resulted in an eleven-year-old girl being shot in the face just after midnight. Laneria Wilson was in her bedroom when a bullet believed to be fired as part of New Year’s celebrations pierced the window and struck her.
Shenedra Ross, Laneria’s mother, recalled hearing gunfire close to her home in north Minneapolis right as the clock struck midnight. She heard more gunshots shortly after, which prompted her to caution her children. “The second I said that she (Laneria) yelled out and said she’s hit. I just jumped up and ran to my daughter who was shot and seen blood running down her face and I grabbed something and just put pressure to it,” Ross recounted.
Wilson, who turns 12 in just a few days, was taken to Hennepin Health Care for treatment.
Ross claimed that before the incident, the neighborhood had been largely peaceful, with little gunfire. Minneapolis police had recently taken significant measures to secure the area, resulting in a reduction of ShotSpotter calls between 12:30 p.m. and 7 a.m. from 124 calls on Dec. 31, 2022, to 58 in 2023.
The incident has left Ross contemplating her next steps, including relocating her family from her childhood neighborhood. The Minneapolis police are currently investigating the horrifying incident, and a fund has been established to assist the family in their time of need.