Shetamia Taylor, 37, was shot and wounded while trying to keep her sons safe at what was supposed to have been a peaceful protest rally Thursday night in downtown Dallas. Instead, snipers opened fire on police officers, killing five and injuring at least seven more.
According to reports, Taylor was one of two civilians injured. She was shot while shielding at least one of her four sons from the gunfire.
Theresa Williams, Taylor’s sister, told the Associated Press that Taylor attended the protest with her four sons, ages 12 to 17. Fox 4 News of Dallas-Fort Worth reports that when the shooters opened fire, Taylor pushed one of her sons between two cars and threw her body over him. She was shot in her right calf and underwent surgery on Friday morning at the Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.
“She jumped on top to cover him on the ground as she pushed him in between two cars in the curb,” Taylor’s sister told ABC Dallas’ WFAA. “All she could think about was her other three boys ― where are they at?”
Taylor was reportedly separated from her other sons during the ensuing chaos. They were stuck behind a police barricade.
Kavion Washington, one of Taylor’s sons, posted on Facebook on Thursday that the family had been attempting to locate one of his brothers, asking friends and family to look for a boy in a black and red shirt with glasses. He was ultimately found safe. (It is unclear whether Washington was at the protest himself. The Huffington Post reached out for comment, but has not heard back.)
Taylor’s Facebook page indicates that she lives in Garland, Texas. She had posted about the rally in Belo Garden park earlier in the day on Thursday. A previous profile photo appears to show her wearing a shirt that reads "Supermom."
On Thursday afternoon, Taylor also posted the following image to her timeline:
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