I have a new woman to look up to, and she's 7 years old. Lives in Detroit, MI.

A 7-year-old-girl is being hailed as an “angel from heaven” and a hero for jumping in front of an enraged gunman, who pumped six bullets into the child as she used her body as a shield to save her mother’s life.

Alexis Goggins, a first-grader at Campbell Elementary School, is in stable condition at Children’s Hospital in Detroit recovering from gunshot wounds to the eye, left temple, chin, cheek, chest and right arm.

“She is an angel from heaven,” said Aisha Ford, a family friend for 15 years who also was caught up in the evening of terror.

The girl’s mother, Selietha Parker, 30, was shot in the left side of her head and her bicep by a former boyfriend, who police said was trying to kill Parker. The gunman was disarmed by police and arrested at the scene of the shooting, a Detroit gas station. Police identified him as Calvin Tillie, 29, a four-time convicted felon whom Parker had dated for six months.

Now, why did I categorize this entry under "police brutality," you wonder?  Because I think police ineffectiveness is just as brutal as police forces committing violence:

Ford said she dialed 911 on her cell phone as she walked into the station.“The first operator clicked off and I dialed again and told that operator a guy with a gun was holding me hostage with a mother and baby and threatening to kill us. I told her the name of the gas station and then she said they didn’t have a unit to send.”Ford said she paid for $5 of gas and slowly returned to the vehicle, stalling for time as she handed Tillie the change. She said she kept stopping and starting the pump, hoping the police would show up.“I told him I needed more gas and took money out of my purse and went back into the station,” she said. The attendant, Mohammad Alghazali, 30, said he noticed Ford was crying and she told him what was happening. He called 911 as he heard shots coming from the vehicle.

[...]Alghazali said a police car on a street nearby arrived in less than a minute after his call.

Disappointment is an understatement there. But our heroine is alive, though she is at risk of losing one of her eyes:

Alexis remains in stable but critical condition at Children’s Hospital in Detroit with wounds to her eye, temple, chin, cheek, chest and right arm. Parker, who was shot in the head and arm, was treated and released.

“Alexis is responding to treatment and appears to be fighting well for her life,” Bodley said.

She is still slipping in and out of consciousness, he said.

While she was being bathed on Wednesday, Alexis pushed away the nurse’s hand, which onlookers considered to be a good sign, Bodley said.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” he said. “But we’re very hopeful she’s going to survive this incident.”

She faces surgery to her eye on Friday. Bodley said all indications are that Alexis will lose the eye.

I've received the bulk of this coverage from Ann at Beautiful, Also, Are the Souls of My Black Sisters, LJ Blackfolk (locked post), and Content Black Woman at What About Our Daughters? The goal is to raise money for Alexis and her family and to have her story reported by the mainstream media. (Yes, once again, they are dropping the ball.)

If you head over to What About Our Daughters? you can find contact information for most of the major media outlets. Call, e-mail, and write to spread awareness about what this awesome little girl has done.

The information for donating money to Alexis and her family is here:

Checks should be made out to the Alexis Goggins Hero Fund and sent to Campbell Elementary School in care of the Alexis Goggins Hero Fund, 2301 E Alexandrine St, Detroit, 48207. For information, call (313) 494-2052.

Also, if you have a Digg account, go ahead and lend some comments and a digg to the article.

Crossposted at Problem Chylde.