For many, dying in their sleep is an ideal way to go to the great beyond but the family of a southwest Atlanta teen did not in their wildest dream anticipate that their sweet girl who had just graduated from high school would have her life snuffed so early.
Jessica Daniels had just completed the South Atlanta High School in May and was headed for Alabama State University when a stray bullet hit her in her sleep in her bed, killing her.
Although her mum and grandma were also in the house on Thursday morning, they escaped unhurt. The shooting, police say, was as a result of the exchange of gunfire involving at least two people, reports AJC.
The police found 18 shell casings on-site and the house Jessica was in was hit by three bullets.
The Atlanta Police Department has, meanwhile, raised the reward fee from $2,000 to $10,000 for anyone with information about the killer. The family has welcomed the news, hopeful of getting answers to their questions.
Her grandfather, who lives across the street, told WSB: “I heard the shots, I jumped up, I ran upstairs and I ran to the door first. And then I heard my daughter in the back say, ‘Jessica been shot,’ and I don’t know. I just lost it. It took the life out of me. I’d rather it be me than my granddaughter. That hurt me so bad and I’m not going to rest until somebody let me know something.”
Jessica was scheduled for an interview the day she was killed.
A GoFundMe page has been established to raise money in the teen’s name.
The GoFundMe description read: “Jessica was an outgoing person, Jessica was the eldest of her siblings, she was the life of the party. We are asking for any donations the family is having a hard time with this, we were not expecting this sudden death. We were no prepared for this no donation is to big or to small. We the Family Thank you in our time of sorrow.”
