Comedian Rickey Smiley's teen daughter Aaryn is 'beyond grateful' to be alive after shooting

Comedian Rickey Smiley's daughter Aaryn is "beyond grateful" to be alive after she was unintentionally caught in a crossfire and shot multiple times over the weekend.

"The tears won’t stop," she tweeted Wednesday morning. "i’m so happy to be alive. beyond grateful. i was so close to death."

During his morning show Monday, the radio host revealed that his 19-year-old daughter, Aaryn, was shot three times over the July 4th holiday weekend in Houston.

"I wasn’t even going to say anything about this. I’ve been dealing with this all morning, sitting up here with butterflies in my stomach trying to do the show. My youngest daughter was shot last night," Smiley said on the "Rickey Smiley Morning Show" Monday. "She’s in the hospital right now… I'm just so angry."

The worst part was being alone in the hospital, Aaryn wrote in an Instagram story. Due to coronavirus restrictions, her family wasn't allowed to be in the room with her.

Smiley explained Monday that his daughter was unintentionally caught in a crossfire while trying to get food from Whataburger Sunday night in Houston.

"I go to bed around 8:30 or 9 o'clock, and I woke up to text messages," Smiley recalled. "The fact that she's laying up in the hospital and probably going to have to go into surgery… She's just crying, she's scared, I can't get to her and I just hate it."

Later Monday, Smiley shared on Instagram that his daughter "made it out of her operation." He thanked everyone for their prayers, adding that she's "doing great."

Aaryn is recovering after having a second surgery on Tuesday, she shared via Instagram.

In a statement to USA TODAY, the Houston Police Department confirmed the incident at 6898 South Freeway in Houston Sunday night, saying the victims, three men and one woman, were transported to an area hospital with what are believed to be non-life-threatening wounds.

"The three men were in a vehicle at a stop light… when an unknown vehicle passed them," the Houston police statement said. "The occupant(s) of the vehicle began shooting multiple times, wounding the three men. A female passenger in an unrelated vehicle was also struck."

Original story: Comedian Rickey Smiley reveals teen daughter was shot three times in Houston, she suffers nerve damage

Aaryn, who was celebrating her birthday on Sunday after turning 19 days ago, shared a grisly picture on her Instagram Story of the blood stained passenger seat where she was shot.

"This is the most terrifying thing that has ever happened to me. I won't be out of the hospital for a while nor will I be able to walk for a while due to nerve damage," she wrote.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Rickey Smiley: Daughter Aaryn 'so happy to be alive' after shooting