37-year-old Shetamia Taylor was shot in the leg in front of her children while at the Dallas protest. (Facebook)
A sniper ambushed a peaceful Black Lives Matter rally in Dallas on Thursday evening, killing five police officers and wounding 7 others.
Not all of those who were injured were cops, though; also shot in Dallas was 37-year-old Shetamia Taylor, a civilian who was in attendance for the rally and was injured during the gunfire. Her wounds were not fatal and she is currently recovering in the hospital.
Here’s what you need to know about Shetamia Taylor.
1. She is One of Two Civilian Victims of the Shooting
Shetamia Taylor is one of two civilians injured during the Dallas shooting. (Facebook)
In addition to the 12 police officers who were shot at the Dallas rally, two civilians were also injured, Dalla\s Mayor Mike Rawlings said.
Taylor was initially reported as the only civilian victim of the shooting.
The other civilian name has not yet been identified.
2. She Wanted to Teach Her Children About Peaceful Protests
Shetamia Taylor brought her four children to the Dallas rally to show them that protests could be peaceful. (Facebook)
According to Shetamia’s sister Sherie Williams, Shetamia had taken her four children to the Dallas rally because she wanted to teach them about peaceful protests.
Williams said that her sister wanted to “show them it’s ok to stand up for who you are and what you believe in and just a simple message, violence doesn’t get you anywhere. Come together, be peaceful, communicate with one another.”
Taylor had made several posts on her Facebook over the past few days in response to the recent shootings of black men by white police officers, including one promoting the Dallas rally that said, “Fight hate with love.”
3. She Shielded Her Children From the Bullets
Shetamia Taylor threw herself in front of her children in order to protect them. (Facebook)
Shetamia Taylor was at the Dallas rally with her four sons, who are between 12 and 17 years old, according to WTSP.
As the shooting broke out, Taylor’s sister says that Taylor and two of her sons were separated in the chaos. They became stuck behind a police barricade where police were exchanging gunfire with the suspect. Exact details are still unclear, but when the shooting began, Taylor threw herself on her sons in order to shield them. At some point she was shot in the leg.
“They all began to run, scatter and she said as she started to run she caught a bullet in the back of her right leg,” Theresa Williams, Taylor’s sister, said. “She immediately jumped on top of one of her boys, the 15-year-old, she jumped on top to cover him on the ground as she pushed him in between two cars and the curb.”
4. Her Son Was Covered in Blood
Shetamia Taylor’s injuries were severe enough to leave her son covered in his mom’s blood. (Facebook)
Though Taylor’s children thought they were just going to a non-violent rally, they never expected to experience the trauma of witnessing their mother shot in front of their eyes.
According to Inquisitr, Taylor’s 15-year-old son was left covered in his mom’s blood in the aftermath of the shooting. Taylor’s sister described the teenager as scared and distraught and said that he had ran up to his mother and hugged her around the neck.
Taylor’s other two sons who she had become separated from were found safe behind the police barricade.
5. She Is Currently Recovering in the Hospital
Shetamia Taylor was leaving the rally with her 4 boys when she was shot in the calf. #DallasPoliceShooting #WFAA
Taylor is expected to fully recover from her wounds; she underwent surgery on Friday morning and is currently healing in the hospital. A photo of her injury was posted by her relatives on social media.
According to ABC News, Taylor has been watching the news from her hospital bed and is more concerned for the slain police officers than she is about her own injury.
“She’s not so much worried about the gunshot wound she has on her leg,” Taylor’s sister said. “We’re watching the news in the hospital room and all she can do is say, ‘Lord, be with those families of those police officers.’ And that’s what she kept repeating.”