8-year-old Oklahoma boy shot in the head while looking at Christmas lights with his family
12/19/2023 1:46 pm PST
LAWTON, Okla. (TCD) -- A man was arrested after he allegedly shot into a woman’s car and struck her 8-year-old son as the family was looking at Christmas lights.
On Dec. 10 at 8 p.m., Lawton Police Department officers were called to 910 SW 35th St. regarding a shooting. When they arrived, they found a victim with a gunshot wound and he was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment.
According to KFOR-TV, the victim, Zachariah Bannister, who turned 8 years old a few days before the shooting, joined his mother, grandmother, and brother while his mom made DoorDash deliveries. The mom told KFOR she would sometimes make stops along the delivery route to take in the Christmas decorations.
At one point, she put her car in reverse to look at a house, but then, someone started shooting. Zachariah was struck in the head, and his brother reportedly said, "Zach, you can’t go to sleep. You can’t go to sleep."
The mother drove to the hospital to get help.
On Dec. 18, police arrested Jullian Phillips on a charge of shooting with intent to kill and booked him into the Comanche County Jail. His bond was set at $500,000.
Zachariah’s GoFundMe page says he had to be intubated and suffered a skull fracture and blood clot. When doctors removed the tube, his first words were reportedly, "I have to pee."
His mother said in an update he lost a lot of his strength and needs assistance sitting up. He also reportedly is talking, but it takes him a while to process what is being said to him and what he says back. She said he is "doing so amazing" and was happy when his grandmother and brother visited him in the hospital.
MORE:
TRUE CRIME DAILY: THE PODCAST covers high-profile and under-the-radar cases every week. Subscribe to our YouTube page and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. You can also subscribe to our True Crime Daily newsletter.
