SOUTH BEND – Braxton Bird, the 7-year-old boy shot inside his Madison Street home Thursday night, is home resting. The boy’s principal, Deb Martin, says she spoke with the boy's mother who told her doctors removed the bullet from her son’s arm without further damage.
WSBT was at the home when Martin stopped by Friday morning to check on Braxton.
A bullet-riddled window in the back of the home tells the story best.
“A couple more inches one way or the other and it easily could have been a fatal shot,” said South Bend Police Capt. Phil Trent.
Janitta Hairston was home with her five children – ranging in age from seven to fourteen – when the gunman fired six shots at close range around 10:20 Thursday night. Her seven-year-old son Braxton was hit in the arm and she was hurt by broken glass, Trent said.
One neighbor told WSBT she heard several gun shots, saw a man run between two homes and get into a parked gray car before driving away.
“We don’t really have any trouble,” said Margaret Whipkey, who lives across the street.
But police have seen plenty of trouble there. Officers have responded to the home more than 60 times since July 2008.
“[That’s] one of the higher numbers that I’ve ever seen,” Trent said.
Many of those calls were for domestic disturbances, fights or unwanted people on the property. In July 2011, someone fired shots at the house.
Whipkey told WSBT the family moved into the home across the street about five years ago, after Habitat for Humanity built it. But she doesn't know why someone would want to hurt the people living inside. Whipkey also said she feels safe in her neighborhood.
Capt. Trent said the house was targeted and he also believes the gunman used a revolver because there were no shell casings at the scene and because of the number of rounds fired.
Investigators said they have no motive and no suspects.
