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HENRY COUNTY, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - “She wasn’t picking up her phone, then the next phone call I got was that she had been shot,” Jantzen Kendall told FOX 5.
It's a phone call no parent wants to receive.
“I was nervous, I was upset,” Kendall added. “I was confused, I was making sure that they didn't have the right child. I just couldn't believe it.”
Latrice Cannon and Jantzen Kendall's 12-year-old daughter Layla was cooking at a friend's last Thursday, when a spray of bullets pierced the home on Pates Lake Way in Henry County – one striking Layla in the neck.
She was airlifted to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Egleston, where she is now recovering from a series of surgeries
“Just to see her in that type of state, to go through surgery from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m., it's really devastating,” Kendall said.
But the question of who weighs heavy on the family's minds. Henry County Police told FOX 5 there is no suspect information at this point. Authorities added a dark gray BMW was seen leaving the area around the time of the incident.
“Of course we want to be here and by her side at all times, but as a mother, of course I feel like I want to be out on these streets and doing everything I can, asking every person, knocking on every door,” Latrice Cannon said.
The family is remaining optimistic, telling FOX 5 Layla is responding with slight movements, even mouthing words. The parents are grateful the bullet didn't land inches higher.
“I said, ‘You are so strong,' and I told her, 'It could have been worse, we are so happy you are here,’ and she nodded,” Cannon recalled.
Friends have arranged a GoFundMe page to support the family, who are now facing mounting medical bills.