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Family speaks out after pregnant Jacksonville mother shot

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The family of a pregnant woman who was shot in front of her children is speaking out.

It happened in mid-June at the 300 block of Woodbine Street.

The mother, Dana, was taken to a hospital for an emergency cesarean section and has been in rehab ever since.

Her family says they’re hoping she’ll be released Friday. If so, she’ll get to meet her baby girl, Journey, for the first time.

Dana wanted to share her story with Action News Jax. She asked her sister in law, Sophia Grandison, to speak on her behalf.

Grandison says Dana was walking with her three young sons on June 14 when shots were fired and she was hit in the abdomen.

Grandison says Dana doesn’t know who or where the bullets came from.”[She was at] the wrong place at the wrong time,” Grandison said.

Action News Jax first reported the shooting June 15.

JSO’s Shot Spotter alerted officers just before 11:00 p.m. the night before.

Officers stayed on scene as investigators worked for several hours.

JSO is still working to learn who’s responsible.

“An innocent person, she was literally outside with her three minor children, they were just enjoying each other,” Grandison said.

“Out of nowhere there were just stray bullets coming from everywhere, and she was the one that got hit,” Grandison says.

Dana has nerve damage and has to learn how to walk again.

“When talking to her, she gets really emotional about the fact that the gun violence is so serious, but at the same time she’s so grateful to have made it through, especially carrying a child,” she said.

She adds that Dana is grateful to be alive, calling it a “new lease on life.” Grandison says Dana no longer feels safe in her neighborhood and is looking for a new home for her family, all while facing mounting medical bills, a premature baby in the NICU, and a long road of recovery ahead.

If you’d like to help, the family has set up a GoFundMe account at https://www.gofundme.com/f/expecting-mother-dana-ashley-fatally-shot.