CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — There was quite a crowd at the barbecue benefit held Saturday for the family of Amethyst Silva, the 11-year old girl killed by random gunfire on New Year's morning.
Her parents had mentioned the "angel" who stopped to help them in those frantic moments as they rushed Amethyst to the hospital.
She agreed to speak with Action 10 News as long as her face wasn't shown on television. This is her recollection of what happened.
"He needed help, and nobody wanted to stop. I myself will tell you that I was hesitant. I was, just because I'm a fragile little girl."
These are the words of Esperanza Alonzo, the person the Silva family called their 'angel' because of what she did that night, how she helped them rush little Amethyst to the Spohn South emergency room.
She recalled seeing Robert Silva, Amethyst's dad, on Saratoga Boulevard, trying to flag somebody, anybody, to stop and help him. His daughter was in his car - she'd been shot - but his car had broken down near the hospital and every second was crucial.
"I didn't automatically jump out of my car," she said. "I rolled my window down and asked 'What's wrong?'And he (Robert Silva) goes 'I need help! I need your car.' And my automatic reaction to someone saying they need my car is, 'For what?'"
"So he goes 'I need help. My daughter's been shot. She's 11 years old.' I was like 'Get her in the car. Like, let's go.'"
Amethyst's mom Melinda jumped in as well, and continued doing everything she could to keep the little girl breathing.
Alonzo remembers CCPD officers were already waiting at the ER.
"The first thing that they said was visible gunshot wound to the chest. Police officer told you that? They said it out loud. That was me hearing. Because I was getting out of my front seat and they had just opened the door. He said 'I got her. I got her.' And he picked her up and he said, 'Visible gunshot wound to the chest."
Alonzo also remembers waiting what seemed like hours before finding out Amethyst had died, and that she knew before the family did.
"It was complete and utter shock to them that I, a stranger, who, by the grace of God, knew that their little girl was dead before they did," she said.
The people who organized Saturday's benefit tell us $16,000 was raised. Funeral arrangements for Amethyst should be known tomorrow.
