Luna Padilla is recovering at the hospital and is in stable condition. Her mother, Rosemary Sabio, saw the whole thing unfold and is sharing her side of the story with ABC13.
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From her hospital bed, Luna still tries to muster a smile.
NOTE: HPD initially reported the victim was 10 years old, but later corrected the child's age to 7 years old. Luna's mother also confirmed to ABC13 that she is 7.
"I said, 'It's for grandma, smile,'" Sabio said.
But, Luna's worried because the person who shot her while she sat in the backseat of her mother's car is still out there.
"For my daughter to go through this just because someone crazy decided to take a shot -- a gun, and shoot whoever they want? It's crazy," Sabio said.
Just before 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sabio and her daughter were about a mile from home when they stopped at a red light in the 7500 block of Bellfort at Telephone Road.
ORIGINAL REPORT: Suspect fires inside car, injuring young child during road rage incident in SE Houston, HPD says
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Suspect fires inside car, injuring 7-year-old during road rage incident in SE Houston, HPD says
Sabio said she was checking her phone when the light turned green. She heard a honk from the black Lexus behind her, looked up, and hit the gas. She told ABC13 it was brief delay.
"Right when I moved to the left side, he moved to the left side," Sabio recalled.
She said she switched lanes again, to let the Lexus pass, but the driver followed. Then, she heard three shots.
"She screamed, 'Mommy!' And she started crying. And I'm like, 'What happened, mama? Mama, What happened? You're OK. You're OK.' And she's like, 'Mommy, it hurts.' So I stopped my car and got down," Sabio said.
Through the side of the red Nissan, Luna had been shot twice while sitting in the backseat. Video of the car shows the bullet holes in the side.
Other drivers pulled over to help. Sabio said one woman put pressure on Luna's bleeding leg with a T-shirt.
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"It was just crazy, all these people trying to help," Sabio recalled.
Houston police said the shooter in the black Lexus drove off, but his license plate was caught on a nearby camera, which investigators say could be the key to tracking him down.
Sabio and her young daughter pray it happens soon.
"She don't deserve to go through this," Sabio said. "She's just 7 years old."
Anyone with information in this case is urged to contact the HPD Major Assaults & Family Violence Division at 713-308-8800 or speak anonymously with Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.
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