OKLAHOMA CITY – The father of the 12-year-old shot outside of Louie’s On The Lake on Thursday evening says he is breathing a sigh of relief.
Family members say the suspect shot Natalie Will, and her daughter, 12-year-old Syniah Giles, as they were walking in front of the restaurant for a birthday party.
Family members tell News 4 that Will was grazed by a bullet and did not require surgery. Syniah was shot near the tailbone area and she spent a couple of hours undergoing surgery.
Fortunately, she made it through surgery just fine.
Her father, Jabari Giles, says they were initially at Mama Roja’s to celebrate Syniah’s older sister’s birthday.
Family members tell News 4 they were in front of Louie’s when Syniah was shot.
Giles says he has a message for the armed civilian who shot and killed the gunman.
“I thought he was the shooter and I tried to get at him, and I would basically want to thank for him from the bottom of my heart for saving those people, because a lot more people could have lost their lives tonight,” Giles told News 4.
Syniah will spend the next five to seven days recovering at Children’s Hospital.