Judge Terminates Parental Rights In Connection With Shooting Of Liberty City Girl

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – On Wednesday, a judge ended parental rights for the mother of a five-year-old Liberty City girl who was shot while she slept in her apartment.

Three children are currently residing at the household where the shooting took place.

The judge will evaluate who will be getting custody of the children.

During the session, there was mention of a distant aunt who is presently out of town. She will be evaluated when she gets back to see if she would like to adopt the children.

The judge wants the children to be together.

The little girl was shot in the abdomen early Tuesday morning and is recovering at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

CBS4's Peter D'Oench spoke with the girl's older sister, Luxury Rose, who said, "My sister said she was walking and talking and it looks like she was only shot in one place. This is heartbreaking. The family is not alright. We are surviving and getting by and she is going to be ok."

Jonathan Craig and Shondrea Coleman, the victim's mother, were arrested Tuesday, according to City of Miami Police.

Craig, 40, is facing charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, aggravated child abuse, trafficking illegal drugs and lack of safe storage of a firearm from a minor.

"We've notified DCF. We've made an arrest. We've recovered a gun. The person that we've arrested is a convicted felon so there never should have been a gun in that house to begin with," said City of Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina, who visited the girl at the hospital.

The Department of Children and Families is currently investigating.

The girl's grandmother Sonia Wheelers told D'Oench, "I feel sad about this situation. It is real bad but it is in God's hands.

"It's sad because you should not have had small children in the house with guns and all that stuff. I was shocked to hear about this. I didn't know that she would be on drugs like that so I was shocked. I'd say the message is don't do drugs and don't take them in the house and don't abuse the beautiful kids that God gave us."

Officers were called to an apartment on NW 66th Street and 12th Avenue just before 3 a.m. on a report of shots fired from outside the apartment.

When they arrived, there was a mother holding her child in the courtyard saying that she had been shot.