Girl shot in Palmdale remains on life support
The 7-year-old girl caught in a car-to-car shooting in Palmdale remained on life support Friday, officials said.
Desirae Macias was put on life support and listed as brain-dead Wednesday after she was shot in the back of the head while riding in the backseat of a car. As family members gathered at a hospital Thursday, they said doctors had already prepared them for the worst.
Rose Galvan, the girl’s aunt, said Thursday that doctors had planned to perform a brain scan to reexamine Desirae’s brain activity, but to do so, they’d have to disconnect her from life support machines.
“So there’s little to no hope because anything can happen in the process,†Galvan said.
The girl was caught in a car-to-car shooting early Wednesday morning that started when her mother’s boyfriend was confronted by a group of men at Mobil gas station in Palmdale.
Authorities said the men chased Desirae and her family as they tried to drive away. The family then tried to evade the suspected gunmen as they shot at their vehicle.
It wasn’t until the family arrived at their home that they discovered Desirae had been shot. A bullet had ricocheted off the taillight and went through the backseat before hitting Desirae, police told Galvan.
The second-grader was in the backseat shielding herself when the bullet struck the back of her head, Galvan said.
Desirae’s mother, who is studying to be a medical assistant, performed CPR while neighbors called police. On Thursday, dried blood still stained the sidewalk where Desirae had lain. Nearby, a makeshift memorial had been erected.
On Thursday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department released the names of three men who were suspected of having taken part in the shooting. They were: Jesus Peralta, 22, and Carlos Peralta, 19, both from Palmdale; and Eduardo Diaz of Littlerock. They were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
[For the record, 1:35 p.m. Sept. 6: An earlier version of this post stated that Desirae Macias died late Thursday night. She remains on life support.]
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