TRENTON, N.J., July 9 (UPI) -- Frustrated police in Trenton, N.J., say fear of gang reprisals is muting 20 people who witnessed a child being shot in the face 15 months ago.
Tajahnique Lee, 7, was riding her bicycle in a housing project courtyard when a 10-second shooting spree erupted between rival gang members on March 31, 2006, The New York Times reported Monday.
The bullet passed in one cheek and out the other, smashed out two molars and took off the tip of the girl's tongue. No one else was injured in the shootout but police said everyone present said they were too distracted by other things to provide any details, the report said.
"Our informants have told us what happened and given us a good idea of who is responsible," Capt. Joseph Juniak, head of Trenton's criminal investigation bureau, told the Times. "But getting someone to say it in court is a whole different matter."
Lee's mother, Tynesia Lee, told the Times her daughter is recovering.
"She still has nightmares about it sometimes, and she says she's never going back there," Lee said. "She's better, though. She came back."
