EXCLUSIVE: 7-Year-old speaks about being shot in broad daylight

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — 7-year-old Dionta Inman is almost back to his normal self after being shot in the hip on Friday.

“My leg was keep on hurting,” Dionta said. “I was crying and crying. It hurted really really bad.”

His mother, Tarvia Foster, told Action News Jax on Friday that a bullet went through to her son’s backside. He was rushed to St Vincent’s Hospital and then helicoptered to Shands.

Foster is just happy that her son is OK.

“As you can see, I have a smile on my face,” Foster said, holding her son tightly.

But still, she worries for her family’s safety. That is why she asked us to meet her in front of St. Vincent’s Riverside location, instead of where she and Dionta are staying.

“We going to get through this together,” Foster said. “I have a couple people that’s on my hand that’s willing to help me, as far as victim advocates and everything.“

On Friday, JSO responded to the shooting in Murray Hill at 11 A.M. Foster said her family was arguing and someone pulled out a gun and aimed it at her fiance, but instead hit her son.

“When I was sitting on the couch playing on my phone, and then I went in the doorway,” Dionta said. “My cousin, he tried to shoot my dad. He had shot me.”

This year alone, Action News Jax has received 32 alerts from JSO involving a child being shot—that includes Dionta Inman. Out of the 32 victims, 12 died at the scene. In 2018, there were 28 children shot in Jacksonville and six died at the scene. In 2017, 29 children were shot and three kids died at the scene. Most of these were accidental.

JSO said they do not believe Dionta was the intended target. Still, Foster plans to move to a new home and keep her son away from the people involved in the shootings.

As for Dionta, he said he is just happy to be out of the hospital.

“I want to come home because I want to see my brothers and my sister,” Dionta said.

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