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12-year-old girl faces 'long road to recovery' after shooting

Police said a neighbor shot the girl and her adult sister in Bloomington on Sunday.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Family and friends are asking for prayers as a 12-year-old girl and her 29-year-old sister remain hospitalized following a shooting in Bloomington on Sunday.

A neighbor has been charged with attempted murder in the shooting of the sisters, as well as murder charges for allegedly killing his wife.

Police said 12-year-old Makayla Saulter and 29-year-old Canisha Saulter were helping to load a U-Haul on Sunday night when they were shot. Family members said Makayla was holding Canisha's one-year-old daughter at the time and helped to protect the child.

The sisters' aunt, Rev. Marcia Westbrook, posted an update to a GoFundMe fundraiser on Tuesday saying Makayla was still in critical condition at HCMC. 

"The doctors predict she will have a long road to recovery," the original post read, noting that Makayla was shot in the head and needed to have a portion of her skull removed to allow for swelling.

In the update posted Tuesday, Westbrook wrote that Makayla was "progressing as expected" according to her doctors. The girl was responding to touch and able to squeeze her mother's hand and open her eyes, according to the post.

"All is looking PROMISING so far," Westbrook wrote.

The update said the gunshot wound was behind Makayla's ear, and the portion of her skull that was removed will need to stay off for one to three months while she heals.

Makayla's sister, Canisha Saulter was shot three times in the lower body, according to the post: once in the leg, once in the left hip, and once in her right ankle. The GoFundMe update said Canisha needed a rod to stabilize her broken leg, and will soon begin physical therapy. However, it's unclear how long she will remain hospitalized.

The GoFundMe page had raised nearly $25,000 for the family as of Tuesday night.

   

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