FLINT, Mich. — It was nearly 3 a.m. when LaDorothy Griggs was jolted awake by the banging on her front door. She was still in the haze of sleep when her uncle rushed into her home. “Skye’s been shot,” he said. “Skye’s been shot in the head.” Griggs couldn’t stop screaming, jumping up and down, even after her uncle said they had to get to the hospital and see if her 3-year-old niece was still alive. For more on this story, watch NBC’s “Nightly News with Lester Holt” tonight at 6:30 p.m.
She couldn’t speak or eat normally because of the tube inserted into her trachea to help her breathe — and she might have to rely on that kind of tube for years. Skye’s mother, grandmother and aunt camped out in shifts, knowing Skye was used to having someone next to her when she fell asleep; relatives of Skye’s father visited as well.