DETROIT – The mother of a child who was shot as an infant on Detroit's east side is sharing the story of her struggles more than a year later, hoping it will shed light on the toll gun violence takes, even on those who survive it.
Lakita Lamb was holding her newborn son on the couch of their home on May 17, 2017, when bullets started flying into their house. One of the bullets hit her week-old son, Sirmear, who is still dealing with the aftermath of the shooting.
"I had a dream I got shot, and I constantly have them," Lamb said. "To wake up is a blessing."
Lamb said she has been having intense, reoccurring nightmares for a year.
"I've been telling my mom I keep having dreams that I've been shot," Lamb said. "This whole past year I keep having dreams that I got shot. I wake up. I am here, got my babies. We're alright."
Lamb had just brought her son home from the hospital last May when more than a dozen shots were fired into her home.
"It was 14 shots and nine people in the house," Lamb said. "Everybody could have been killed."
One of the bullets grazed Sirmear's head. Medical officials said he came within a hair of being killed.
Lamb said she still won't look at the scar on her son's head because it brings back too many bad memories.
Loud noises frighten Lamb and her son, and she said she lives her life in a constant state of fear.
"It is a fear factor, always looking over your shoulder when it is dark outside," Lamb said.
Sirmear just celebrated his first birthday.