Mom speaks to FOX5 after 14-year-old son shot 5 times in northwest Las Vegas

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) - Takeila Peebles tells FOX5 she’s taking one day at a time, two weeks after her 14-year-old son and a 12-year-old neighbor were both shot in their Centennial Hills neighborhood near Durango and Elkhorn.

“Just because they say he’s okay, it doesn’t mean any complications can’t come from whatever happened with the wounds,” Peebles said of her son, who was shot five times in the incident. “So I’m still dealing with the same day, every day.”

Peebles has been given leave from work through July, but without pay.

“Mentally, it’s draining me,” she said of the last two weeks. “Because I need to figure out how I’m going to take care and not lose everything that I’ve worked so hard for, for something that had nothing to do with us.”

Two suspects have been arrested for the shooting: 17-year-old Hakeem Collett, who’s being charged as an adult, and an unnamed 15-year-old. They’re both facing two charges of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder, among other charges. Peebles says both suspects are complete strangers.

Peebles feels lucky not to have lost her son in the drive-by shooting.

“I just think someone was there as an angel,” she said. “Definitely looking and holding him and said, ‘It wasn’t your time.’”

It’s a long road ahead for the family, though, as the 14-year-old victim still needs to recover physically and mentally.

“Everybody that you look at now can become that person,” Peebles said, referencing the fact that her son had no connection to the shooters. “How can I tell a person who was shot five times at 14 not to look at everybody the same way?”

Peebles tells FOX5 she wants to know why her son was shot, but also showed grace and understanding toward the suspects.

“I’m hurt. But at the same time, as a parent, I have to say they’re kids,” she said. “But did they make an adult decision, or did they make a kid decision?”

Another thing Peebles wants to know: the identity of the neighbor who quickly drove the two teenage victims to Centennial Hospital before being transferred to UMC. She says doctors have told her that quick action saved her son’s life.

Peebles also tells FOX5 the 12-year-old neighbor who was also shot is recovering very well.

She has set up a GoFundMe for help to stay afloat during this time.

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