"It's ridiculous!" Mother says bullets fired into two homes on Christmas came too close to her young girls



MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- Milwaukee police say shots were fired into two homes on Thursday evening, December 25th -- and a mother tells FOX6 News a stray bullet barely missed her two young daughters, as they were enjoying their Christmas presents.

It happened just before 7:00 p.m. in the 2800 block of N. 17th Street.

Police say a five-year-old girl inside one of the two homes into which shots were fired was struck by debris.

"It was loud, like 'POW!'" five-year-old Maria remembers.

Maria's mother, Sophia (who only wanted to share her first name with FOX6 News) says someone was trying to get into their aunt's home near 17th and Hadley on Christmas. Soon, shots were fired.

"Police said if she would`ve just been slightly this way, it would`ve went right through her. It`s crazy because I would`ve been burying if not one, both on her birthday," Sophia tells FOX6 News.

Sadly, one wouldn't be able to immediately tell which homes were hit on Christmas. A FOX6 News crew at the scene saw several homes riddled with bullet holes. Maurice Fair's home is one of them.

"It ain`t nothing unusual. You wouldn`t call a shooting around here unusual," Fair said.

"Just another day in the neighborhood. That`s all it is. Just another day in the neighborhood and yet we should be outraged," neighbor Chef Perry said.

This incident will remind many of another recent shooting in Milwaukee -- this one fatal. Five-year-old Laylah Petersen was shot and killed while sitting on her grandfather's lap near 58th and Fairmount.

"Innocents. Innocent children dying -- for what? I don`t know what I would`ve done. I literally would`ve went crazy," Sophia said.

This mother is now reflecting on how close she came to losing her child on Christmas. Thankfully, her only struggle was trying to convince the girls to get some sleep.

"I didn`t have no sleep because my heart just make me cry and my heart was scaring me," five-year-old Maria told FOX6 News.

"Merry Christmas. That`s pretty much what they`re saying to us. Merry Christmas. Here you go -- a dead child. It`s ridiculous," Sophia said.

No one is in custody in connection with this incident.

Monitor FOX6 News and FOX6Now.com for updates on this story.