Heroic mother dies shielding her 11-month baby from flying bullets in quadruple shooting

Heroic mother dies shielding her 11-month baby from flying bullets in quadruple shooting

A quadruple shooting in West Philadelphia claimed the life of a brave mother who shielded her baby from the shots fired.

Dawn Boyd, a 22-year-old mom, was talking to three others outside a friend's house when suddenly a vehicle drove up in front of them and a gunman opened fire. As soon as Boyd heard the shots, she quickly grabbed her 11-month-old daughter and shielded her from the flying bullets.

It was later found that the young mother was shot over a dozen times across her body, including several times in both legs, her left arm, and chest. Despite the best efforts of paramedics who rushed her to the hospital in an extremely critical condition, Boyd succumbed to her injuries and died on Sunday, the Daily Mail reported.



 

The storm of bullets caught other members of the group as well - a 21-year-old woman was shot in the upper right leg, a 35-year-old man was shot in the left arm, and a 24-year-old man was shot in the chest and also died soon after. According to Philadelphia Police Lt. John Walker, the bullets originated from two different guns.

Surprisingly, Boyd's daughter, as well as another child present at the scene, survived the mayhem. Relatives and close friends say that they are only alive because of Boyd. Speaking to NBC10, Boyd's mother, Michelle McDonnell, said, "She grabbed the two babies, her friend ran into the house and by the time she turned around my daughter was crawling, saying she couldn't breathe."

"My granddaughter, thank God she's still here," Boyd's father, Stephen, said. "As my daughter tried to protect the kids, she lost her life, and we consider her as a hero."



 

As authorities continue their investigation into the incident, they are yet to release a description of the suspect or the suspect's getaway vehicle. Meanwhile, Boyd's close relatives and friends have set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds to cover the funeral expenses. On the webpage, Boyd's sister explains in further detail what happened.

"My sister was gunned down. She was shot over a dozen times, she fought for over 24 hours clinging to life because she is a fighter," the website reads. "The doctors worked to keep her alive but her injuries were just too severe and my sister took her last breath at 3:13 pm today. My family and I are in shock and disbelief, still trying to process the reality of this tragedy."

She added: "My sister just turned 22 nine days ago and is leaving behind her 11-month-old daughter who turns 1 in 3 weeks and will now have to grow up without her mother. If any of you knew my sister her whole life revolved around her beautiful little girl. She fought every day to make sure her little girl was well taken care of. She wants to be a nurse. My sister was compassionate, loving, a good mother, friend, daughter. She had the most beautiful smile that made the whole room light up, she was always happy and her energy was contagious. The world has lost a beautiful soul today and heaven has gained an angel."

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