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Doctor: Girl, 12, Shot In Neck Likely Paralyzed

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 12-year-old Twin Cities girl will likely never walk again after being shot in the neck Friday.

The first moment Guadalupe Galeno-Hernandez was brought to in Hennepin County Medical Center, doctors knew it was going to be bad.

Her x-rays confirmed the horrifying news. The bullet traveled under Guadalupe's chin, into her neck and through her spinal cord.

Dr. Andrew Kiragu, who was part of the team of doctors and other specialists who saw Guadalupe Friday, believes she will likely be paralyzed from the neck down.

The shooting happened Friday night at East 34th Street and Chicago Avenue South in south Minneapolis. Guadalupe was walking with her brother and their cousins to their aunt's home.

The girl's brother said just as the group knocked on the front door, a car pulled up in front of the home. Someone stuck their gun out the window and fired one shot, which hit Guadalupe.

Police think someone in a gang might have done this and that Guadalupe was the intended target.

Council Member Elizabeth Glidden represents the area where the shooting happened. She's convinced Guadalupe's family needs the community's help, and that the community needs to help police, too.

"We know there are people who know what happened, and we really need those people to step forward, talk to police, be brave, and do the right thing in this circumstance," said Glidden.

Guadalupe's mother told us Saturday that she's praying her daughter will recover. However, doctors are giving a grim outlook -- Guadalupe might be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

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