Phoenix Teenager Fights For Her Life In Unsolved Crime

Press release from the City of Phoenix:

August 27, 2020

"To think that if they couldn't bring her back, what would I do," Dekayla Love's mom asked through tears. "What would I do without my baby

"16-year-old Dekayla was an ambitious high school student taking college courses, while also cheerleading, dancing, and running track. But all of that is a distant memory now as Dekayla fights to even take a step on her own, after a near-fatal shooting

"She wasn't even supposed to be alive, to be honest with you," Dekayla's mom said. "Cause when the paramedics found her, she was unresponsive and not breathing.

In the early morning hours of November 24, 2019, Dekayla and some friends were leaving a party in the area of 16th Street and Broadway. As their car pulled away, shots rang out—one bullet striking Dekayla in the back of the neck.

"You never think that this will be you," Dekayla's mom said. "You never think that this will be your child"

Mom said doctors expected Dekayla to be quadropolegic for the rest of her life. Dekayla was on medication to keep her heart rate up, fluid had to be drained from her lungs, she had a halo brace for her head.

But as time goes on, they are seeing glimpses of progress. Dekayla can stand on her own for short periods of time, and she can walk with help. She is literally and figuratively taking small steps forward, but mom said there are still so many steps to go.

"I am so angry," Dekayla's mom said. "I don't know what else to say to explain it. But I am angry. They took so much from her. They took so much from her. And I don't even know if they knew her.

" Phoenix Police Detective Derek Thompson has been working the case since the beginning. He said they think the bullet in Dekayla's neck was not actually intended for her.

But who the bullet was for, and who fired it still remains unknown.

Detective Thompson said they need help at this point to solve this case. He wants to encourage anyone who's knows something to say something.

"We're not worried about what you were doing down there that night," Detective Thompson said. "We're not worried that if you were there drinking under age or if you were using any type of illegal drugs, the only thing we're worried about right now is being able to solve this case."

"It wasn't her time yet," mom said. "She has so much more to do, obviously, because if she didn't, she'd be gone, she wouldn't be with us. But she has a purpose, and she has such determination to beat this.

"If you have any information regarding this case, contact Silent Witness at 480-Witness or leave an anonymous tip on the Silent Witness website. You will remain anonymous and could earn a cash reward.

This press release was produced by the City of Phoenix. The views expressed here are the author’s own.