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Father Reveals Heartbreaking Question Daughter, 11, Asked After Gunshot to the Head: ‘Words I Don’t Think Any Dad Could Handle’

Thomas Smith
3 Min Read

A father is sharing the painful moment his 11-year-old daughter spoke after being shot in the head.

The girl, whose name has not been released publicly by authorities, was sitting in her family’s car in the parking lot of an apartment complex in Antioch, Calif., when she was shot on Jan. 5, according to the Antioch Police Department (APD).

She was taken to a children’s hospital in Oakland. Two days later, a GoFundMe created on the family’s behalf said she could hear loved ones and respond by moving parts of her body when spoken to, but that she had “lost 100% of her vision.”

Speaking anonymously with The Daily Mail, the girl’s father recalled the moments after the shooting as his daughter realized she could no longer see.

“Dad, why can’t I see?” the father said she asked.

He told The Daily Mail in Spanish that hearing those words was overwhelming. “It hurts me so much,” he said. “Those are words I don’t think any dad could handle.”

“I feel like my heart is being ripped out,” he added, saying that family “is everything” to him.

The girl’s aunt, identified as Anahi Ramirez, also spoke with The Daily Mail and said she was still trying to process what happened. “I’m in shock,” she said. “I can’t believe everything that’s happened. It’s very difficult.”

“It’s very hard to see her like that,” Ramirez added.

Police Identify Suspect; Family Relocates as He Remains at Large

Antioch police identified the suspect as Ryan Hardy, saying he was named “through a combination of video surveillance, witness statements, and forensic evidence.”

Hardy, 23, remains at large. Police have warned he “should be considered armed and dangerous.”

According to the GoFundMe, the girl’s family — including her three siblings — is relocating while the suspect has not been apprehended.

“Because the attacker has not been apprehended, the family lives in constant fear of retaliation and no longer feels safe returning to their home in Antioch,” the fundraiser states.

Ryan Hardy, suspect in a Jan. 5 shooting in Antioch, Calif. Antioch Police Department

Police have also said, “The family does not appear to have been the intended targets.”

As for the girl’s condition, the fundraiser says, “Her road ahead is uncertain and will require extensive medical care, therapy, and long-term emotional healing.”

The APD said the investigation into the Jan. 5 shooting is ongoing.

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