Child gunshot victim could come out of medically induced coma Wednesday

Chloey Neely

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — “As the doctors labeled her, she is in critical but stable condition.”

Tonya Hawkins has known Chloey Neely’s family for decades. Now she’s praying that eight-year-old Chloey can make it through another day.

“Doctors seem to be thinking that if we can make it to day five with no swelling, we’ve made it through that obstacle,” she said. “And then we will slowly start to bring her out and decide what the next steps will be.”

So far, family and friends have watched Chloey through four days in a medically induced coma without any swelling, following what appears to have been an accidental shooting that led to Chloey’s hospitalization.

“The prayers are working,” she said.

Neely was in her family’s Monongalia County home Friday night when a gun discharged through a wall and hit the young girl behind her right ear.

Her great uncle, Michael Nichols, 49, has been charged as a prohibited person in possession of a firearm. He told The Dominion Post this week that it was a “freak accident,” and that he didn’t know a prior domestic battery conviction from 1997 excluded him from gun ownership.

“If I could trade places with her, I would in a second,” Nichols told the newspaper.

Hawkins said it’s been a tough time for the family, dealing with the death of Chloey’s father, C.J., and grandfather, James Harper, over a span of just two weeks.

“Now this with her daughter, things are just hectic in her life,” she said. “Any help in any way is appreciated more than you know.”

A donation drive and a GoFundMe for Kristie Neely and her other two daughters, including Chloey’s twin sister, has been established through Hawkins.

“The simple things that we take for granted that they may just not have time to get to the grocery store because of being at the hospital and short amounts of time of being home,” Hawkins said.

Drop-off location is at Mylan Park Elementary School for the rest of this week from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. The GoFundMe is also active. Hawkins said she can also be reached on Facebook or by calling her at (304) 290-2251.

“We can make any type of arrangements to meet up to get anything,” she said.

Hawkins is remaining optimistic, and said the amount of community support has really helped the Neely family during a very dark time.

“The amount of tears and the hugs and they love that they feel from everybody at this point in time through prayers and any donations — they are just overwhelmed with how everything is being handled.”

She said her children — and many others — are just hoping they can make another play date with the girl who her second grade teacher described as ‘special, vibrant, and beautiful.’

“We can’t wait to see her smile again,” Hawkins said.





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