15-Year-Old Tamima Samira Hit By Stray Bullet …

On Tuesday, June 7th, a bullet flew through the window of a home in Queens, striking 15-year-old Tamima Samira. Samira, a high school sophomore, was doing her homework and studying at the dining table when she was hit by a bullet in her right chin around 11 p.m. 

The victim’s father called 911 after hearing multiple gunshots outside of his Queens residence before realizing his daughter had been shot. 

Police that reported to the scene discovered three bullet holes on the front door as well as multiple shell casings. In total, 21 casings for 9mm bullets were found. According to police, Samira would have been struck twice if one of the bullets had not gotten lodged into the door frame. 

The teenage victim was rushed to Cohen Children’s Medical Center for her injuries. She had surgery and was discharged the next day. After arriving home on Wednesday, the 15-year-old girl posted a note on her front door saying, “Hey besties, girl who got shot here! I have no comment. Come back after the Regents for a statement.”

The police have yet to identify and arrest any suspects related to the shooting. The motive and intended target are unknown, as is common for many of the shootings occurring across New York City in recent months.

Home surveillance cameras from a neighboring home caught sight of three suspects who opened fire shortly before running away late Tuesday night. 

Further Insights on the Stray Bullet…

Mohammad Hossain, the father of Samira, said to reporters outside of his house, “How do we protect this community, because everyone is scared about this. Of course, the gun is the problem. This is not my concern, it’s my daughter. I’m really concerned about this country because of the babies or the teenagers. They are innocent so we have to protect them. This is our country’s problem.” 

Hossain spent Tuesday night at the hospital while Samira underwent surgery and treatment for her gunshot wounds. According to reports, she is doing well after the surgery. 

After catching news of the shooting, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell took to Twitter saying, “New Yorkers must feel safe in their own homes. Every NYPD resource is being utilized to find those responsible for the shooting on 113th Rd. in Queens last night that resulted in a 15-year-old girl being struck and injured while in her dining room.”

On June 10th, Tamima Samira spoke to reporters in regards to the shooting. “All of a sudden, we hear these loud bangs outside, but it wasn’t fireworks and we could feel like the shockwaves, you know, the recoil from the gunshot. I felt like, a very sharp pain in my leg and I thought it was like electrocution, but I looked down at my leg and there’s blood on my hand.” Samira said everything happened so fast that she couldn’t process what was happening. “There was one bullet that struck me, but there were two other bullets that entered my house.”

There has been an increase in victims of unintended shootings. Many adults and children have been struck by stray bullets, resulting in various injuries and multiple deaths. New York City’s gun violence epidemic is on the rise, with people not being safe even in their own homes.