A “joyful” 17-year-old girl struck by a stray bullet during a gang-related Bronx shooting last week is clinging to life, her mother said Monday — as she recalled the frantic phone call that shattered her world.
Jennifer Talbot, 49, said her daughter Anthonaya Campbell is struggling to survive as the high-schooler remains in critical condition at Jacobi Hospital after being struck in the face with a bullet during the deadly shooting at a basketball tournament in Baychester on Saturday night.
Talbot was celebrating getting her PhD from Heart Bible International University in Connecticut when she received the nightmarish call from her daughter’s friend in The Bronx.
“She was screaming,” the mom recalled of her daughter’s pal. “I’m like, ‘You’re not making any sense.’ But meanwhile I was up and running. I had on a long gown fit for a gala. I changed out of my clothes real quick, grabbed whatever I could grab and hit the highway.
“I put on my flashers and just rode, thinking that if cops try to stop me, they’ll at least see that my flashers are on,” she said. “But right now it’s all or nothing.”
Talbot said that when she arrived at the hospital, she was horrified. Her teen daughter, who was due to return to high school in Hartford this week, was so critically injured that doctors told the mom to prepare her goodbyes.
On Monday, the teen was still fighting to survive.
“I’m just trying to be positive,” the mom said.
“She’s a joyful person,” she said of her daughter. “When you look at her, you just smile. She loves everybody. She greets everybody. She reaches out to everybody. She has an uncontrollable passion for just helping other people.”
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The teen was in The Bronx visiting friends and family, sitting in the bleachers to watch the basketball tournament at Haffen Park when shots rang out — and one slug striking her in the face.
Talbot said her daughter was supposed to attend the mom’s graduation but had hair appointments to work on — a side gig she did to make extra money while attending high school.
“She goes, ‘I’m sorry, Mom.’ I said, ‘You were supposed to come.’ She said, ‘I know, I would come, but I want to finish his hair,” Talbot said, referring to one of her daughter’s clients.
“She called me during the ending of the graduation ceremony. She said, ‘I’m so proud of you, Mom. I’m so proud of you.’ “
Saturday’s gunplay left 32-year-old Jaceil Banks dead and four others wounded, including two in critical condition — including Campbell.
Police took four suspects into custody after the 7:30 p.m. shooting. They are now facing murder, attempted murder, gang assault and weapons possession charges, according to authorities.
Charged in the incident are Robert Royal, 25, Daeven Reyes, 20, and two teens, 16 and 17 years old, whose names were not released because of their ages.
Additional reporting by Amanda Wood
