11-year-old out of ICU after being shot in the head in North College Hill, family says

CINCINNATI (WXIX) - An 11-year-old, who was shot in the head more than a month ago, remains hospitalized but is making remarkable progress in her recovery.

Jahleeah Williams, 11, is now out of intensive care, her father, Jason Williams, says.

“Jahleeah is out of ICU and into the transitional care unit,” Jason said Tuesday. “She’s in stable condition, awake, she should be starting more intense rehab so that she can be discharged in August.”

On April 18, Jahleeah was playing a game with her older brother in the upstairs of the family’s North College Hill home when she was shot, Cincinnati police say.

Around 10:45 p.m. that night, police say officers responded to the scene on Bising Avenue, where they found Jaliah with a gunshot wound.

She was taken to Cincinnati Children’s and underwent surgery, her family told FOX19 NOW in late April.

The Rockdale Academy student is front and center in the minds of those around her, including Rockdale Academy Principal, Dr. Jaren Finney.

“We got word from her dad that she is out of ICU. Woooo! That is amazing news,” says Dr. Finney. “Yes, I did talk to her mom today. She told me not only is she out of ICU, but when they opened her eyes, she was able to give a thumbs up for ‘yes’ and a thumbs down for ‘no.’ She’s able to blink to confirm how she’s feeling so that is phenomenal news.”

Jahleeah’s mom says her daughter was looking forward to her 6th-grade graduation, so Principal Finney stepped in.

“She was in the hospital so the kiddos were like, ‘So, what can we do?’ So, we came up with the idea of a Fathead,” explained Dr. Finney.

Together, her classmates and teachers signed a cardboard cutout of Jahleeah to show her they are behind her.

Jason, Jahleeah’s dad, said they hope she won’t need the assistance of the ventilator before too long.

“We’re hopeful that she won’t need the extra help from the ventilator soon, that the trach will come out eventually, and with time and hard work, she’ll be able to use her legs and arms just as well as she could before this happened,” said Jason.

Jason said the family is looking for a new place to live that is close to Cincinnati Children’s and better fits Jahleeah’s needs.

As far as the investigation goes, at last check, North College Hill Police Chief Ryan Schrand said they are still waiting for test results from the BCI crime lab in Columbus.

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