SPRING HILL, Tenn. — A 23-month-old girl is recovering after being grazed by a bullet while sleeping in her crib in Spring Hill.
London Layne was injured when bullets pierced through the walls of her family's home on June 6. The bullet grazed her head, fracturing her skull and causing her brain to swell and bleed.
Police have arrested a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old who they say were shooting at each other on the street when stray bullets hit the home.
"On the top of her head, the very top, that's where the bullet hit," Leslie Layne, London's mother, said.
Leslie and J.P. Layne, London's parents, recall winding down for the night when they heard what sounded like fireworks. Then came the screaming.
"My first thought was she shot in the head? Is that her skull?" Leslie said.
"Keep talking to me, keep screaming. To hear her screaming like that was a relief, oddly enough, to make sure that she's still alive," JP said.
London spent roughly 36 hours in the hospital and is now back home with her family, though the recovery process continues to be challenging.
"It's hard on her because she was a strong independent woman at 22 months," Leslie said. "For her to be restricted has been really hard on her. She can't get on the trampoline."
At 23 months old, a rhythmic swing is one of the few things that soothes London now.
"She knows something's wrong, in her brain knows something's wrong, so you revert back to that metronome-like movement," Leslie said. "They said the vibration of the walking, the swinging, and drinking the bottle [helps]."
Despite the trauma, the family is focusing on healing rather than anger toward the shooters.
"I don't want to be angry at them. The reality is God loves them just as much as he loves London," Leslie said.
The family credits their faith for London's survival.
"God protected her. God protected us in that moment," Leslie said.
"By the grace of God, we're not planning a funeral. We're celebrating that she's here with us and putting up with her feisty nature," JP said.
Leslie has transformed their front yard as part of the healing process.
"I ripped out all the bushes in the front and planted flowers because that's her favorite. She can pick all these flowers, and I'll buy more flowers again," Leslie said.
Police are still investigating the shooting, and more charges may be pending. Leslie hopes the two arrested are charged as adults and that this serves as a wake-up call for them.
While London is expected to make a full recovery, a fundraising effort has been established to help the family with ongoing hospital and therapy bills.
This story was reported on-air by Amanda Roberts and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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