Gunshot victim: 'I'm not going back' to Detroit

Detroit — Kyla Moore said she fears for her life after being choked, shot and robbed at a west-side gas station this week, and the 19-year-old of Trenton said she won't be returning to Detroit.

"No, I'm not going back," said Moore, who was shot just after midnight Wednesday in the Sunoco gas station in the 13300 block of Livernois while in Detroit to visit her father. "(The suspects who shot her) stay near my dad, and I'm worried, although I'm going to be worried no matter what."

Moore, speaking by telephone from her hospital bed Thursday, said she fears retaliation from the men who shot her in the neck following an argument. She said the bullet hit an artery, and that she also has a broken rib. She has an IV line in her neck. She said her problems are psychological as well as physical.

"I keep having nightmares and flashbacks," said Moore, whose family has started a GoFundme fundraiser to help cover medical expenses.

Moore said the incident started when a group of men stole something from the gas station.

"The clerk was outside yelling at someone, and I asked her what happened and she told me," Moore said. "I said, 'That's none of my business,' and went back outside. Then (a car full of men) pulled up, and one of them said, 'That b____ should just stay behind the counter.' I said, 'You just stole from them.' They all flashed guns at me. I put my hands up and said, 'I don't want anything to do with this,' and walked back to my car."

One of the men followed her, she said.

"He jumped in the car with me and started choking me," she said. "Then he stole my necklace and shot me. My ear was ringing, but I didn't even know I was shot until I got to my dad's house."

Police Deputy Chief Franklin Hayes said a suspect was arrested hours after the shooting. Special operations officers located the suspect on the city's east side on Wednesday and attempted to apprehend him but he would not surrender, Hayes said.

Officers chased the suspect through six city precincts and into Monroe County in police cars as well as a helicopter. The man was followed into Monroe County by Detroit police pilots in a helicopter and arrested when he re-entered Detroit shortly after 7:30 p.m.

Police were not immediately available for comment about whether they are pursuing other suspects in the case.

Keta Moore, the victim's mother, said she also plans to stay out of Detroit.

"It's a shame, because there are a lot of good things going on in the city, and this casts a dark light on Detroit," she said. "It's unfortunate that a person can't come down to the city and enjoy things without fearing for their life. It's not fair."

Kyla Moore said she's recovering from her injuries.

The incident has thrown the Moore family into turmoil before the holidays, the victim's mother said.

"I'm angry," she said. "I'm angry at the guy (who shot Kyla), and I'm angry at the process. I'm just angry. I don't think (the shooter) realizes the long-term effect this has. My other daughter just got a (basketball scholarship to Madonna University), and instead of celebrating that, she's crying. We're all crying."

ghunter@detroitnews.com

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Twitter: @GeorgeHunter_DN