Brain swelling improving for 9-year-old girl shot in apparent road rage shooting in SW Houston

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A 9-year-old girl who was shot in apparent road rage incident in southwest Houston appears to be improving, according to the family.

Ashanti Grant, who is a fourth-grader at Savannah Lakes Elementary in Brazoria County, has been in a medically induced coma for several days since having surgery after the shooting.

"We hadn't seen any changes up until this morning," says Ashanti's grandmother Elaine Grant-Williams.

The shooting happened at 9 p.m. at 9800 Southwest Freeway, as a family of four -- Ashanti, her mother, her father, and her 11-year-old brother -- were in a Tahoe headed to the grocery store.

Police believe they were going northbound on the freeway when they got between a white truck and another vehicle that appeared to be racing.

One of the racing drivers, believed to be in a white GMC Denali, cut off the family's vehicle several times. The Denali then got behind the family's vehicle and someone inside the Denali opened fire, wounding the girl in the head, police say.

Now, days since the shooting, Ashanti's family received the good news that the pressure around her brain has gone down. Since news of her injuries broke out, she has received a lot of support and love from people in Houston and around the world.

Friends and classmates of Ashanti got together on Saturday to offer their support to the family and each other.

"We had a group project. So we decided that we get together, and that's how we became friends," said Baylee, one of Ashanti's classmates.

Ashanti's classmates said school has not been the same without their friend with the beaming smile.

"Me and a couple of my friends, we made cards for her so they can take them to the hospital," Mickensie said.

While Ashanti continues her fight, a GoFundMe has been set up to help her family pay for the home and medical expenses as her parents continue to stay by her side.