INKSTER, Mich. – An Inkster mother is recovering after she was struck by a bullet when her minivan was sprayed with bullets late Thursday night with four children in the vehicle.
Lashawn Johnson, 39, said her son helped his siblings stay safe during the attack.
Johnson is a mother of six children. She was on her way home from McDonald’s at about 10:30 p.m. when she saw three men in hooded sweatshirts standing in the intersection near her home. She honked the horn and as she drove by they started shooting.
“All of a sudden it sounded like they were just showering the car with gravel,” Johnson said. “Jaden starts screaming ‘Hurry, let’s go.’ I realize the things that are hitting the ground are bullets, not rocks.”
Jaden Fluker is Johnson’s son. As the bullets pierced the side of the minivan, Jaden tended to his 4 and 6-year-old siblings.
“I just saw like fire out of their hands and the bullets hit the car and kept hitting the car so I told my mom to go,” Jaden said. “When they started shooting at the car, I grabbed my little sister and my little brother and I put their heads down.”
Johnson continued driving, despite being shot. Her minivan crawled to a stop next to the Dearborn Heights Police Station. All four tires were flat.
“They asked if I knew the side of the vehicle was full of bullet holes and I said ‘Yeah and I think I’m shot,” Johnson said.
None of the four children were injured.
“I was so angry with him for not moving the box, but when the dust settled, that box took two bullets and had he moved it, my baby would’ve been there,” Johnson said. “I’m super proud of him. If it wasn’t for them, they definitely kept it together and protected each other.”
Michigan State Police said they have no suspects in custody or identified.
Johnson is moving in with family since the incident happened so close to her home and the gunmen are still on the loose.