A 16-year-old Iowa girl is hospitalised after being shot in the face by her mother’s boyfriend. The teen’s chin, according to her mother, was split open after suspect Kevin Fajardo opened fire inside their apartment on Hubbell Avenue in Des Moines. The distraught mother, Jacorra Jones, explained that the attack came on the heels of his threatening to take revenge for an unclear motive.
According to Jones, the events unfolded suddenly on a Sunday night in late October. She said her 28-year-old partner appeared to be under the influence before the shooting incident. Jones explained that her relationship with Fajardo was one without any form of disrespect on either side, which made her confused when he started issuing threats.
“I knew he was off narcotics and alcohol. He just kept saying he was gonna hurt me, how I hurt him and that he was gonna get back at me, but I didn’t understand why, because the night before everything went well.”
Jones recalled that the day before her worst nightmares unfolded, they went out as a family. She said the family spent time together taking her daughter, Mya Buie, to a photo session, visiting a haunted house car wash, and ending the evening at IHOP.
“I did see signs of things that I looked over, which I shouldn’t have looked over,” she admitted. “But I thought,I put too much faith in people when I shouldn’t. If you feel them, take them. Don’t second guess them. Just do what you gotta do.”
When the argument began the next night, Jones said she told her daughter to grab the family’s car keys. Moments later, gunfire erupted. Jones recalled that she heard a commotion when Mya went down to get the keys. When she rushed to check what had happened, she found Mya suffering from a gunshot wound.
“He shot her, and I see my baby, her face was split open. Her whole chin was gone. She was just (leaking) blood, and I couldn’t help her,” Jones continued.
Her daughter survived the shooting but remains in the hospital, where she has undergone surgery and faces a long recovery that includes several other facial reconstruction surgeries. Despite the trauma, Jones said Mya has shown incredible strength, managing to speak and move just days after being shot.
Police said that Fajardo fled the scene after the shooting and remains on the run. Investigators are urging anyone with information to contact authorities immediately, as Fajardo is considered dangerous. “I’m tired of walking around like it’s okay when it’s not okay,” Jones added. “You hurt my child, and I need justice.”
