gun violence

‘Agonizing': Grandmother Speaks After Mass Shooting Shatters Family in Dumfries

Three weeks after a deadly mass shooting in Dumfries, Virginia, the grandmother of one of the victims says the mental impact of the tragedy weighs heavily on her loved ones.

NBC Universal, Inc. Three weeks after a deadly mass shooting in Dumfries, Virginia, the grandmother of one of the victims says the mental impact of the tragedy weighs heavily on her loved ones. News4’s Mauricio Casillas spoke with her.

A family is trying to put the pieces of their lives back together after police say a man shot his teenage girlfriend and four of her relatives in Dumfries, Virginia, on Jan. 4. One of the victims, 3-year-old Journee Carroll Ward, was killed.

Before noon on that day, Prince William County police responded to the 17900 block of Milroy Drive, where they found the victims. Journee was pronounced dead at the scene. The four other victims, ranging in age from 14 to 17, were taken to hospitals with life-threatening injuries.

Trina Rhodes, the grandmother of one of the shooting victims, said the mental impact of the tragedy is weighing heavily on her loved ones. Her granddaughter, Da'Nayja, was shot in the stomach. Her grandson Dayquan Jr., who is hearing-impaired, was asleep when the shooting took place, and woke up to learn about the deadly attack.

“Traumatizing, agonizing. Overall, just very stressful for us,” Rhodes said.

Da’Nayja had to undergo surgery and was in the hospital for eight days.

“She made it out. Unfortunately, not everybody did. That’s an issue we’re still dealing with,” Rhodes said.

Da’Nayja is doing better physically, but both she and her brother are struggling mentally.

“They can mask it sometimes by – you know, it’s a big smile, but you know that there’s a lot of hurt behind that smile,” Rhodes said.

A 20-year-old D.C. man shot a 17-year-old he was in a relationship with as he opened fire on her home in Dumfries, Virginia, killing her 3-year-old sister and wounding three other teens. News4’s Juliana Valencia reports on the suspect’s history with gun charges.

Not only is the family dealing with the loss of 3-year-old Journee, but in September, Da’Nayja and Dayquan’s mother died due to a medical issue.

Rhodes said that at that time, Spotsylvania’s Department of Social Services promised to help the family, but months later, "I haven't received any emotional or mental health support that they've been promising," she said.

Though they've been able to lean on friends and rely on support from the community, Rhodes said the pain is still fresh.

“It’s really hard because we don’t know what we’re going to get on a day-to-day basis. We just don’t know, and that’s emotionally and physically, from either child,” she said.

News4 reached out to Spotsylvania County’s Department of Social Services to get more information on the support it provides families going through these types of situations, but we have not received a response.

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