Grandmother of 9-year-old killed in Mobile ‘just wants justice’
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - For the first time, the family of the precious 9-year-old girl killed in a drive-by shooting early Tuesday morning is sharing their grief.
Mobile Police said Cailee Knight was sleeping on a couch inside her home on Rhett Drive when she was hit by a bullet.
She was only in the fourth grade with her entire life in front of her.
“This is really a tragic time for our family right before Christmas,” said Shelisa Alfred, Cailee’s grandmother. “I just want my baby back.”
Investigators said people with high-powered weapons drove by the home and opened fire. Bullet holes were still visible, and children’s toys were in the yard hours after the tragedy.
Mobile Police Chief Paul Prine is sure the shooting is gang-related, and he’s fed up.
“Where’s the outcry for our children being killed?” he said. “This is a senseless act, and it could have been prevented. Here we are with a child who should otherwise be getting ready for the Christmas holidays, being happy, jovial, enjoying time with her family, and now I’ve got a mother in our community getting ready to bury a 9-year-old child.”
Alfred is heartbroken.
“It’s not going to be complete because she is always here with me on the holidays,” she said. “We always do Christmas, and we open one gift the night before Christmas, and then the next morning, I let them open all their gifts.”
Alfred said she was in the fourth grade at Leinkauf Elementary. She was a happy child and loved being the center of attention.
Now, a heaviness is blanketing the holidays, and between sobs, she hoped investigators can find out who did this.
“I don’t know what to say,” said Alfred. “I’m devastated for one. For two, I want by baby back. For three, I want justice. That’s all I want.”
In Tuesday’s city council meeting, Gina Gregory of district seven said the intended target was Cailee’s 16-year-old brother.
FOX10 News is told he was not home when the shots were fired.
Mayor Sandy Stimpson is out of the country on a work-related trip, and he has not released a statement.
At this hour, no one is in custody.
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