Recovering 8-year-old girl asks 'why' after drive-by shooting

DENVER - Sierra Moore and her Auntie Jessica have learned that adversity can make you stronger.Their families call them two peas in a pod.
Eight-year-old Sierra and 14-year-old Jessica love to spend time together. They were together on June 20 walking home from a friend's house near Curtis Park when they found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"I never thought anything like that could happen. It was so scary. It still keeps me up at night," said Jessica Gay.

Sierra doesn't remember much about that evening.

"Me and Jessica were going to her friends and then going back to go to her mom's house. That is all I remember," she said.

Jessica says she wishes she didn't remember so much. She can still picture the car driving by very slowly. She knew something was wrong. Suddenly, she heard gunshots.

"It was really scary," she said. "Sierra told me she couldn't go no further because something had hit her, and she told me to just leave her. She told me to go save myself."

In the chaos and fear of that moment, Sierra, who had just been shot in a drive-by, was thinking about her Auntie Jessica.

Jessica was focused on Sierra.

"I picked her up and started screaming and running for help," said Jessica.

There is a Burger King at the end of the block. When Jessica got there, she laid Sierra down and started to give her CPR. People in the restaurant called 911.

"She saved my daughter's life and if it wasn't for her, no telling what would have happened at that point," said Sierra's father, Michael Moore.

Sierra spent 16 days at Denver Health Medical Center before she went home on Sunday. The bullet had entered her side, cracked a rib and torn her lung before exiting out of her back.

"She was just about gone, she was just about gone she lost a lot of blood a whole lot. I thought I was going to lose my baby. I just prayed that she would make it through," said Sierra's mom, Wynisha Jones.

"There were a few days when we weren't sure that she was going to make it. We are grateful to God that He was with her," said Michael.

When she was strong enough, they told Sierra what happened.

"People shouldn't do that. It made me so mad. I was mad," said Sierra.

She had a question that no one could answer.

"Why did this have to happen to me?" she said.

Sierra says she is so happy to be home. She is in a wheelchair and has staples in her side. Bandages cover the bullet hole that is still healing.

Jessica doesn't have any physical injuries, but the scars in her heart and mind are deep. She has trouble sleeping at night.

She says seeing Sierra at home and doing so well is helping a lot.

With a strawberry ice cream sandwich in her hand on Monday you could hear Sierra look at Jessica and giggle.

"We are going to move past this and remain strong as a family. These girls are amazing," said Michael.

A fund has been set up to help the family with medical expenses.

Chase Bank Acct. # 2904202716 Sierra Moore Trust Fund

Or mail contributions to: Chase Bank P.O. Box 36520 Louisville KY, 40233