Survivor of 2007 shooting watches her daughter graduate and head to college
Rose Smith, who survived a four-gunshot shooting while pregnant in 2007, attended her daughter Miracle's high-school graduation and looks forward to her college start.
While returning from a grocery store in May 2007, Rose Smith was struck by four bullets, one to her jaw, two to her left arm and one to her spine, just as she was three months pregnant. Doctors warned she might never walk again and gave her a 50-50 chance that the unborn child would survive; she later delivered a daughter she named Miracle via C-section. Miracle grew up in Los Angeles, excelled academically and athletically, and received a full scholarship through Operation Progress, an LAPD-Strive partnership.
She graduated from Mary Star of the Sea Catholic high school and is set to study nursing at California State University, Fullerton. Smith, now 42, still experiences muscle spasms and requires periodic hospital care, but remains proud of her daughter's achievements.
Why it matters
The story highlights long-term resilience after violent trauma and the power of supportive community programs.
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