5-year-old girl struck by stray bullet remains hospitalized

The parents of a 5-year-old girl struck by a stray bullet inside a west Las Vegas Valley apartment earlier this month said their daughter remains hospitalized and they asked for the public’s support.

On Nov. 20 around 4 p.m. Porschia Harris heard a bang and found her daughter Draya Harris lying on the bathroom floor surrounded by blood.

Draya is one of Porschia and Gregory Harris’ four children, all of whom are under 10 years old. Porschia was home with three of her children when Draya was shot.

They initially thought the blood was from a fall and only later discovered at University Medical Center that a bullet had lodged in her neck.

A Metropolitan Police Department report said the bullet entered Draya’s shoulder and severed her spinal cord.

As of Thursday night, an online fundraiser set up by the family to help pay for medical expenses had raised about $2,200.

Her mother described Draya as an active child who enjoyed running, gymnastics, singing and dancing.

Gregory Harris said Draya lights up every room she is in and is the “life of the party.”

“She’s just a loving, caring, sweet person,” he said.

Police accused 31-year-old Arreion Willoughby of firing a shot from a neighboring apartment that traveled through an adjoining wall, striking Draya.

Officers found a bullet hole in the bathroom wall that led to another unit, according to an arrest report, and four children were in Willoughby’s apartment when he fired the shot.

The Clark County district attorney’s office charged Willoughby with child abuse resulting in substantial bodily harm, discharging a gun into an occupied structure and being a prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

Willoughby remains in custody on $500,000 bail and is due in court on Dec. 11.

Contact David Wilson at dwilson@reviewjournal.com.