A Dallas family's world turned upside-down when an 11-year-old girl fell victim to a stray bullet during a shootout, sparking a chain of events that left them without a home and a mother without a job. On September 25, at the Sun Palace Apartments, Diamond Otey's daughter D'Yonna was struck by gunfire while asleep, narrowly missing her spine and leaving fragments lodged in her body. In the wake of the violence, the family's struggle has been met with community support, particularly from the No More Violence Organization, according to Ground News.
"I just felt stinging," D'Yonna Otey said, recounting the moment the bullet tore through the quiet of the night. Her mother, Diamond Otey, who had just started a new job after moving out of a shelter, now faces the harrowing aftermath of her daughter's injury, coupled with the loss of her employment and eviction from their apartment. "I lost my job and I got evicted from my apartment. I’m staying with a friend for now," Diamond Otey recounted the recent hardships, as per WFAA.
The No More Violence Organization, led by co-founder Patricia Allen, came to the aid of the Oteys after the tragic event. Allen's immediate response upon hearing Diamond Otey's story was to support the family. "Once she told me her story and how her baby was a survivor, I immediately said we’ve got to be there for that family," Allen said. The group has provided the family with clothes and connections to various community resources, hoping to secure a steady place for the Oteys to rebuild their lives, per WFAA.
Diamond Otey expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support and the difference it has made in their lives. "They help us with comfort. She calls and checks up on us. She speaks life into us," Otey said. Through the partnership with No More Violence, the Oteys have not only received immediate relief but an extended family, a beacon of hope in a time overwhelmed by uncertainty and pain, as per WFAA.
