Mpls. Salon Soldiers On After Stray Bullet Injures Customer
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- An innocent victim has been caught in the crossfire of a north Minneapolis shooting for the second time in two weeks.
A woman was injured Thursday when a bullet grazed the side of her head while she was in a beauty salon near Irving Avenue North and West Broadway.
The violence did not stop Lisa Spicer Wade from opening her beauty parlor -- Dimensions in Hair -- on Friday morning.
Along with the typical rush, she dealt with continuous phone calls from concerned community members.
"We've been here since 6 a.m. working and we have the support of our community," Spicer Wade said.
Two bullets pierced the business during a nearby shootning, leaving clients like Dedra Herron-Slack, as well as her mother and sister, scrambling for cover.
"When I looked around I saw someone on the ground, so, you know, natural instinct was, 'WelI maybe I better hit the ground,'" Herron-Slack said.
The shooting ended, but the anxiety did not. A bullet grazed her sister, Yolande Herron-Palmore.
"I heard my sister say, 'I think I got shot,'" Herron-Slack said.
Herron-Palmore was rushed to the hospital, the only one of the roughly 12 people inside the business who was injured.
At least one of the bullets narrowly missed a beautician and her client as it passed by their beauty stand.
"She said it was nothing short of a miracle. You know, we're all trying to figure out what's the message in this," Herron-Slack said.
Those who experienced the unexpected violence see a need for change. A 58-year-old woman was killed last week while sitting in her car about a half mile away from the salon -- the victim of a stray bullet.
"How does the community come together to deal with this problem?" Herron- Slack said. "This is not a victim of violence. It's a victim of lost opportunity and hope. The people have lost opportunity and lost hope in that area of town, and why? And what can we do about it?"
The first step towards ending the violence for Spicer Wade was refusing to let fear get in the way.
"We decided last night, you know, we'll still be here running things as normal," she said. "Nothing is going to change."
Herron-Palmore was released from the hospital Friday afternoon.
Police have not made any arrests in connection with the shooting. Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
