NEW IBERIA, La. (KLFY) — A New Iberia teen is fighting to stay alive after she was shot in the chest Sunday night.
The mother of 18-year-old Azarie Frederick says her daughter went outside to get her a soda from her car.
She said a group of men opened fire on Azarie, trying to kill her.
“They were hiding behind this tree right here, and someone was hiding next to our house,” Azarie’s mother, Monique Frederick, said. “She said it was five guys that had guns. She said when they started shooting, she just thought about one thing, and she ran to the back. She said she jumped the fence.”
Azarie escaped to her back yard, but her fight wasn’t over.
“When I opened up the back door, she said, “Mama, they shot me in my chest.'”
A neighbor trained in first aid heard the rash of gunfire and rushed over, trying to keep Azarie alive.
“The guy from across the street said she told him, ‘Please don’t let me die.’ He said ‘No, you’re not going to die,'” Azarie’s mother told News Ten.
He kept her awake and alert until emergency responders arrived and took her to the hospital, where doctors were able to stabilize her.
Her mother says she believes shooters’ target wasn’t Azarie though, and fears they will come back.
“They were going after her brother, and she just happened to go and get a soda for me. That’s when it happened,” she said.
Though her family fears the shooters will return, right now they say they’re just praying Azarie pulls through.
“You hear it happening to other people, but when it hits home, it takes a toll on you. Because she could have died. She’s laying in the hospital right now fighting for her life,” her mother said.
New Iberia Police are still working to identify the suspects.