7-year-old released from hospital after bullet from drive-by shooting hit her while she slept

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — A 7-year-old Houston girl is out of the hospital after she was struck by a bullet from a drive-by in the middle of the night.

According to her family, a bullet pierced through the young girl’s bedroom window in the 4500 block of Rosemary Lane near Keith Road, striking her in the ankle.

Her mother, Flora Mendoza, said she heard the gunshots and her daughter’s screams around 2 a.m. on Saturday.

Mendoza said her daughter had to go to the hospital to get the bullet lodged in her ankle removed. She was released on Saturday evening with a cast on her left foot and a teddy bear and balloon.

Her mother said shots were also fired outside of their home about a month ago. She believes the same person is targeting them.

analysis of gun violence data shows mass shootings are up 65% in Texas this year and up 21% across the nation.

Mendoza said she’s not sure who would ever do this, but said she has an older son who has been involved in the wrong crowd.

She wants the shooter to know that no child should be caught in the middle of issues between adults.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to contact the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.