Hero nurse helps baby shot in Houston road rage incident
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Before paramedics responded to a 1-year-old boy who was a casualty of a road rage shooting off the Southwest Freeway Wednesday afternoon, a registered nurse cared for the wounded toddler.
"I always keep my car on a full tank, but yesterday, I was nearly out of gas," Joanna Lopez told ABC13 Eyewitness News. "And I felt as if I needed to go to that gas station."
WATCH: Hero nurse speaks exclusively to ABC13
SEE ALSO: 1-year-old injured during road rage shooting in southwest Houston: police
She also walked inside to get a soda.
"I usually have my husband do that, but this time, I decided to go into the store," Lopez said.
Moments later, she saw the boy's frantic father calling for anyone who might be a doctor or a nurse. One was already there.
"He was crying, and when I saw the blood, I felt where the bullet was," she said. "His dad wanted to pat him, but I felt like the bullet was near his spine, and he needed to lay flat and be kept calm."
In situations like that, minutes count, and in those minutes she checked his airways and breathing.
"It was labored breathing," Lopez said. His parents were later told the bullet had punctured a lung.
Little Brandon Jayden Ross remains at Children's Memorial Hermann, with his parents by his side. He's in stable condition.
The shooter remains unidentified and at large. Police believe the boy's father may have bumped his car or cut him off, which triggered the road rage.
RELATED: Baby's road rage shooting is wake-up call: HPD chief
The nurse said while Brandon isn't her patient, she feels a connection to him, and is wishing him and his family all the best.
She also wants to give him a gift, even more than stepping in to help treat him at a gas station. "I want him to have something to make him smile," Lopez said.
The family of little Brandon Jayden Ross has launched two GoFundMe campaigns: one to help cover his medical expenses and another for a birthday party to lift his spirits.
