Help Us Find Our Daughter's Shooter

07/04/2024

As 4th of July is a time of heightened firearm indiscretion, please exercise the caution that so many have wished they could have.

𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐨𝐧 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐕𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐔𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐬

From Epoch Times
“‘Firearm violence is a public health crisis. Our failure to address it is a moral crisis,’ Dr. Murthy said.”

From NPR
“The advisory notes that firearm-related injury has been the leading cause of death for U.S. children and adolescents since 2020 — when it surpassed car accidents — and that ever-common instances of gun violence are taking not only a physical but also a mental toll on survivors, families and community members at large.

A recent national survey found that 54% of U.S. adults or their family members have experienced a firearm-related incident…”

Justice for the 2-year-old little girl who was shot in Independence, OR on July 4th, 2023

05/11/2024

𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐟

I was not sure what to say or how to relate to you so I opened up and simply acknowledged you. We stared at each other, peered right through. I said, “I must start” but I paused at the echo of you. Hollow you were right to your core. I didn’t know why until you opened the door. I asked if you could have a seat. You wouldn’t sit, or chat, there was no safety for that. All you could do was cry out and run and scream and the echoes resonated in the depths of the hollow core of your being. An amphitheater of grief sends your message out beyond the skies. Your suffering means something, but the silent reply affirms the question when you aren’t even sure why.
I wish I was like you. I wish I could scream. I wish I could tear the pages right from their seams. I’d rewrite the story. I’d rewrite it all. I’d write him away so that he never made me feel small. I’d write myself big and whole and new. A full version of you.
Oh, to write away our whole cursed role. And what bliss, your shot lands…it’s a miss.
My pen stokes cannot connect and unwind the time, and I can’t get her screams out of my mind. I thought, is this what freedom costs? No, this is innocent freedom lost. This is not what freedom was ever about. Instead, America waits motionless under impotence, terror, and clout. I lie there with tears hidden behind my eyes. Numb, yet awake. The universe operates. I begin to shake and I smile and I stay another day where suffering is quietly exchanged for something polite people say…
“I’m glad she’s ‘ok’ “

- Sincerely, the Mother of the Girl the Shooter and the City of Independence Took No Responsibility or Recourse for…

Enjoy your party this year and all the bullet holes in your backyard decks from fallen bullets just like every year…when you should be having a moment of silence out of any ounce of respect for our daughter and our family.
We sincerely hope no one else gets hurt. But, nothing has changed, so no one should be counting on that.

01/01/2024

We’ve stayed quiet on this profile for some time now. This is not because there was nothing to say or do (although the shock and dismay makes us feel that way at times) but because we needed to keep our heads above water as we processed this assault and all of the aftermath for our daughter and our family. As we look to the new year, we are so proud of our sweet girl in all of the bravery and determination she has shown through her trauma work. Work that should have never been laid at her door or ours. Work that constitutes 20% of her life thus far. Work that has crushed us and shaken us to our core. Soon, we’ll be preparing to move to start a new chapter while also seeking to understand what extent of chronic pain management our 2 and a half year old daughter may need because of one person’s selfish and senseless actions. So, as we step into these next few hours, we implore this community and beyond to consider your actions carefully in regards to the safety of your neighbors and yourself.

According to the National Library of Medicine, if a gun is fired at you, your chances of dying are 1 in 25. If you are struck with a falling or “gravitational” bullet, your chances of dying are 1 in 3.
And we know from personal experience that our “luck” kept our precious daughter here with us, but sent us through hell.

If you see someone behaving irresponsibly with a firearm, contact your local police department immediately.

We sincerely wish for safety on the roads, in your homes, and throughout our communities tonight. And may a new year bring deeper healing to the scars and evils and tragedies so many have suffered at the hands of those who commit violence.

08/14/2023

Recently, as our daughter has continued to have trouble falling asleep on and off, she has begun sharing a little outline of events from her perspective.
She lays there and says over and over,
“I go to fireworks…the music stopped. I get a bullet, it go through my leg. I go to hospital.”

We’ve not said anything like this to her.

We’ve talked a lot about the journey to the hospital and what happened there. But we haven’t said any of that. Our daughter LOVES music. Knowing that a big part of her memory of these events is that “the music stopped” followed by the noise of her screams of agony is heartbreaking.
And when I hold her at night during a nightmare as her leg tenses, I know she still physically feels the pain.

Our daughter experiences a new kind of fear and hesitation that she has never had before with any type of fun or mundane daily activities. At times it feels like we are going to be ok…until another trigger hits. At times she is actively depressed.

She continues to tell us she is thinking about it all and the pain and healing she is still going through during art therapy. She draws her bullet holes and tries to erase them so that they will “go away” and “not again”.

I share this to remind the community that no matter how much we wish we could erase this… this is not going away for us. The impact this trauma has had on our precious daughter and family runs painfully deep.

08/14/2023

SOMETHING YOU CAN DO:

We had previously asked our friends and concerned members of the community to call the police department and the FBI every Tuesday (the day it happened). We are grateful for those that have💛. We are also grateful for all of the hard work the Independence Police Department and the FBI are doing on the case and do not want to bog them down with too many unnecessary calls.

Please continue to call ONCE PER MONTH ON THE FIRST TUESDAY OF EACH MONTH
(NEXT ONE WOULD BE TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 5th)
and ⏱ briefly and respectfully 🙏 ask for justice for our daughter.

We don’t want to waste anyones time or resources. And at the same time, the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Even if people don’t remember every month, it would make a difference to know the community wants this solved and to see a swift and clean resolution.

One way to do this would be to set calendar reminders on your phone with the following contact information:

FBI
Special Agent Ta
(503) 224-4181

Independence, OR Police Department
(503) 838-1214

08/03/2023

We are so close to our GoFundMe goal. Thanks to everyone that has donated so far. If everyone that sees this would donate even $5 we would probably have the full reward amount to set aside in a day.

On July 4th, 2023 just after 10:30pm in Independence, Oregon, our defenseless, in… Zachary Michael needs your support for Help Us Find Our Daughter's Shooter

08/03/2023

We want to thank everyone that has helped us spread the word for accountability for our daughter’s assault and for awareness to prevent harm and save lives in the future. We had hoped we would reach the city of Independence at large and the surrounding cities where people traveled from to attend the fireworks. This page has now reached over 20,000 people. Speaking up matters. Your voice matters. And the humanity and concern some of you have expressed for our daughter has been like air to us as we attempt to surface from the waves of this trauma.

08/02/2023

There have been a tremendous amount of tips called in on this case. We are aware of several people who were shooting fi****ms into the air that night. One other person in the area was arrested for the same act just about an hour before our daughter’s assault.

🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨 If you were shooting into the air in Independence that night around 10:30pm, you are a suspect in this case.
🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨

These people may be sitting at home wracked with guilt and unsure what to do. We need you to know that the ONLY way to clear yourself of this guilt is to turn yourself and the gun in. Avoid the humiliation of a perp walk. 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐢𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐮𝐧. And running ballistics on the gun is the only sure way to prove your innocence. You have the opportunity to make better decisions in the future.

And if it was you, we believe that restoration is still possible. You can apologize to your community for the danger you put us all in that night and you can take accountability for the pain and fear and depression you put inside of our daughter’s body.

07/29/2023

According to the National Library of Medicine, if a gun is fired at you, your chances of dying are 1 in 25. If you are struck with a falling or “gravitational” bullet, your chances of dying are 1 in 3.

07/29/2023

SOMETHING YOU CAN DO:

One thing that would help our cause ongoing is if people will sort of “sign up” to call the police department and the FBI every Tuesday (the day it happened) and briefly and respectfully ask for justice and for updates on the case. We don’t want to waste anyones time or resources. And at the same time, the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Even if people don’t remember every Tuesday, it would make a difference to know the community wants this solved too.

One way to do this would be to set calendar reminders on your phone with the following contact information:

FBI
Special Agent Ta
(503) 224-4181

Independence, OR Police Department
Sgt Banuelos, Sgt Gilbert, and Officer Detective Fleming
(503) 838-1214

07/29/2023

Thank you to Emily Girsch and the staff at KATU News for continuing to share our story and spread awareness for the dangers of falling bullets and the families that are brutalized.

It wasn’t her first fireworks show but there’s been little errors in almost every news report(like suggesting we are from Independence). I don’t know why this one bothers me. I guess it’s because the other errors were misunderstanding us, and this one is her voice.
So to set the record straight, we took her to a small show last year when she was one and we sat back with baby earmuffs at the ready thinking if she felt overwhelemed we would nurse or just go home. But she was amazed and it made her so happy. Her unbridled joy and excitement made her cousins laugh. At her second birthday we did a “birthday interview” and we briefly explained what all the holidays were to remind her. I thought she would say she liked getting chocolate at Halloween, but she said her favorite holiday was “fireworks”.

https://katu.com/news/local/parents-of-2-year-old-struck-by-falling-bullet-at-fourth-of-july-celebration-want-justice #:~:text=Contributed)-,A%202%2Dyear%2Dold%20girl%20is%20still%20recovering%20after%20being,the%20toddler%2C%20Samantha%20and%20Zach.

A 2-year-old girl is still recovering after being struck in the leg by a falling bullet at an Independence Day celebration in Independence, and her parents are

07/29/2023

This evening we zoomed with Emily Girsch from KATU News to discuss more details of our daughter’s case and what can be done for accountability and public safety. Live tonight at 11pm

KATU ABC 2 offers coverage of news, weather, sports and community events for Portland, Oregon and surrounding towns, including Beaverton, Lake Oswego, Milwaukie, Happy Valley, Gresham, Vancouver, Hillsboro, Oregon City, Tualatin, West Linn, Woodburn, Tigard, Tualatin and Garden Home.