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High Point Enterprise - 9/6/2019

Sep. 5--THOMASVILLE -- Victim has turned into victor. Tragedy fueled the passion of crime victim Sandra Nelson, who founded a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a more favorable climate to support Thomasville's youngest residents.

Nelson was alone with her two youngest children when her home was targeted in a Feb. 25 drive-by shooting. Reports from local news agencies recorded the devastation to the Diana Drive

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residence where more than 30 shell casings were found.

Although she has since moved to another location and the home has been repaired, Nelson still bears emotional scars from the event that could easily have taken her life and those of her children.

She described her memories when she heard the first shots around 9:55 p.m., thinking that someone nearby was setting off fireworks.

"I heard some noise go pop-pop-pop. It was really quick," she said. "Then I could see [the shells] coming through the walls and I heard doosh, doosh, doosh like a high-powered rifle."

Nelson's first concern was her children's safety. As gunfire repeatedly ripped through her home, she belly-crawled to their room to check on her 6- and 7-year-old children, where they were thankfully still asleep.

"I crawled back to my bedroom to get my phone and I was praying, 'Lord please let it stop,'" she said. "About the time I got to my bedroom it stopped."

According to Nelson, detectives with Thomasville Police Department speculated that the attack may have been a gang initiation or a wrong-house case.

She moved away from her home soon afterward, too rattled to return there with her children. She has found the courage, however, to try and recover the sense of community she felt while growing up in Thomasville. She feels the answer lies in a nonprofit group she founded two years ago.

"The organization that I founded Save Our Babies (S.O.B) is having a community event for the youth on Sept. 14. Our purpose is to promote a positive atmosphere for the youth, stop bullying, bring awareness to gang violence, and provide information on additional resources in the community."

The free Village Cookout will include music, food, games, prizes and field events. Members of the Thomasville Police Department are invited guests who will be on hand to support youth as well as create a climate of respect.

Nelson said her group's plans for the future includes financial sense and college preparatory classes for high school students.

For more information, visit Save Our Babies on Facebook.

Staff writer Debbie Hightower may be reached at dhightower@tvilletimes.com or 336-888-3576.

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(c)2019 The High Point Enterprise (High Point, N.C.)

Visit The High Point Enterprise (High Point, N.C.) at www.hpenews.com

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