North College Hill girl, 11, who suffered gunshot to head is out of ICU, father says
An 11-year-old, who was shot in the head more than a month ago, remains hospitalized but is making remarkable progress in her recovery, her father says.
Jahleeah Williams is out of intensive care, her father, Jason Williams, said.
“Jahleeah is out of ICU and into the transitional care unit,” Williams said Tuesday. “She’s in stable condition, awake, she should be starting more intense rehab so that she can be discharged in August.”
On April 18, Jahleeah was playing a game with her older brother in the upstairs of the family’s North College Hill home when she was shot, Cincinnati police said.
More: 11-year-old girl shot in head in North College Hill apartment
Around 10:45 p.m., police say, officers responded to the scene on Bising Avenue, where they found Jaliah with a gunshot wound.
She was taken to Cincinnati Children’s and underwent surgery, her family told FOX19 NOW in late April.
The Rockdale Academy student is front and center in the minds of those around her, including Rockdale Academy principal, Dr. Jaren Finney.
More: 11-year-old girl shot in North College Hill home remains sedated
“We got word from her dad that she is out of ICU. Woooo! That is amazing news,” said Finney. “Yes, I did talk to her mom today. She told me not only is she out of ICU, but when they opened her eyes, she was able to give a thumbs up for ‘yes’ and a thumbs down for ‘no.’ She’s able to blink to confirm how she’s feeling so that is phenomenal news.”
Jahleeah’s mom says her daughter was looking forward to her sixth-grade graduation, so Finney stepped in.
“She was in the hospital so the kiddos were like, ‘So, what can we do?’ So, we came up with the idea of a Fathead,” said Finney.
Together, her classmates and teachers signed a cardboard cutout of Jaliah to show her they are behind her.
Jason, Jahleeah’s dad, said they hope she won’t need the assistance of the ventilator before too long.
“We’re hopeful that she won’t need the extra help from the ventilator soon, that the trach will come out eventually, and with time and hard work, she’ll be able to use her legs and arms just as well as she could before this happened,” said Jason Williams.
He said the family is looking for a new place to live that is close to Cincinnati Children’s and better fits Jaliah’s needs.
As far as the investigation goes, at last check, North College Hill Police Chief Ryan Schrand said investigators are still waiting for test results from the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation crime lab in Columbus.
Enquirer media partner Fox 19 provided this report.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Girl, 11, who suffered gunshot to her head is out of ICU, dad says
