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Mom of Gun Victim, 4: 'I Don't Understand What's Going on With This City'

By Andrea V. Watson | May 27, 2015 4:09pm | Updated on May 27, 2015 4:10pm
 Trennetta Gresham’s 4-year-old daughter Jacele Johnson is eating by mouth and talking after suffering a gunshot wound on Friday.
Trennetta Gresham’s 4-year-old daughter Jacele Johnson is eating by mouth and talking after suffering a gunshot wound on Friday.
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Photo courtesy of Trennetta Gresham

HYDE PARK — Trennetta Gresham’s 4-year-old daughter is eating normally and talking after being shot in her head last week.

“I feel like God showed us a miracle with my baby. If you weren’t a believer now you should,” Gresham said Wednesday.

Speaking at Comer Children’s Hospital, 5721 S. Maryland Ave., Gresham told reporters that she immediately started praying while looking at her daughter, Jacele Johnson, the night the child was shot.

Jacele was outside with family and friends at a prom party in the 7000 block of South Justine Street last Friday when a stray bullet from a drive-by shooting struck her on the left side of her head.

According to Dr. Rita Rossi-Foulkes, the child’s attending physician, Jacele is eating without the help of tubes, can look to both sides and can speak a little.

 Trennetta Gresham (l.) discusses the medical condition of her 4-year-old daughter Jacele Johnson, who was shot last week. Dr. Peter Warnke and Dr. Rita Rossi-Foulkes (r.) have helped Jacele improve.
Trennetta Gresham (l.) discusses the medical condition of her 4-year-old daughter Jacele Johnson, who was shot last week. Dr. Peter Warnke and Dr. Rita Rossi-Foulkes (r.) have helped Jacele improve.
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DNAinfo/Andrea V. Watson

“She made very rapid progress,” said Rossi-Foulkes, who added that these are all good signs because it means the child's brain swelling is going down.

Jacele can’t use her right hand, but is able to walk and use her left hand, Rossi-Foulkes said.

Jacele’s surgeon, Dr. Peter Warnke, said the surgery took 40 minutes, and that he couldn’t remove the bullet. It would have made her injuries worse.

“This was a very life-threatening injury,” he said. “It could have gone either way.”

"She's a fighter," Gresham said.

Gresham, 29, moved to Minnesota seven years ago for school, but returned to Chicago a couple of months ago to help her mother start a day care center and hair salon. She grew up in Woodlawn and said that she was packing to move Jacele and her other children — a 7-year-old daughter and a 10-year-old son — back to Minnesota with her. She said she couldn’t raise her children in Chicago because of the violence.

“I don’t understand what’s going on with this city … you can’t even go to the corner store,” Gresham said.

Gresham said her faith in God has kept her strong and that she feels happy and sad at times, but knows she has to stay strong for Jacele.

“She is doing wonderful. When it first happened, I didn’t know what to expect,” the mother said.

She sent out plea to those people creating the violence.

“Please, all my young black men, please stop … because I could be burying my daughter today instead of sitting here,” she said through tears.

“I hope Jacele touched a lot of young men’s hearts. These are our babies. Please stop the violence, not just in Chicago but everywhere,” the mother said.

She asked the shooter to turn himself or herself in.

Doctors said that Jacele will be moved to rehab in Minnesota within the next week once they locate a bed for her.

Community activist Andrew Holmes put out a $11,000 reward for anyone with information on the shooter. Those with information can call 1-800-883-5587, he said.

“This is a rush against time,” he said.

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