A Fort Smith Northside High School Cheerleader will soon be back on the Grizzly cheer squad, after surviving a dangerous surgery to remove a bullet lodged in her neck.
Lavonda Thompson, Neisha Forrest’s aunt, tells 5NEWS doctors at Children’s Hospital in Little Rock say the surgery went more smoothly than expected. Neisha’s mother Rhonda says six doctors examined her daughter, before one at Children’s Hospital attempted to operate.
Police say Neisha was shot around 3 a.m., Feb. 7, after an argument between two men outside her neighbor’s house ended in a gun fight.
Neisha’s family says the argument woke up the 17-year-old, who was sitting in her bed at the time of the shooting. Investigators say the stray bullet went through two walls, before being logged close to major arteries near her throat.
The shooting happened at 3118 North Pointe, just down the street from Trusty Elementary. Police believe more than a dozen shots were fired.
Neisha’s mother says the Northside senior was more afraid about missing school and being sidelined from cheerleading than going under the knife.
Neisha should be well enough to go back to school Monday, according to her aunt. Doctors say they believe she could be cheerleading again in two to three weeks.
Neisha will be attending the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville this fall on a full academic scholarship.
Police do not have any suspects in the shooting. If you have any information to solve this crime, call the River Valley Crimestoppers at (479) 78-CRIME. You will remain anonymous and could be eligible for a cash reward.
