Young Jersey City Choir Members Endure Heart-Stopping Gunfire While In Van
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A young choir in New Jersey endured a heart-stopping trip after the windshield of their van was suddenly struck by a stray bullet.
It was also a close call for the driver after the shell became lodged in the window directly in front of him.
The 17 boys and girls, who were between the ages of 7 and 18, had just finished choir practice at the Mt. Pisgah African Methodist Episcopal Church in Jersey City on Tuesday night and were about to be driven to their homes. At the other end of the street, however, an argument turned into people pulling guns, police said.
"I remember when we [were] was pulling off, all of a sudden we just had a gunshot hit the windshield and everybody just started like ducking behind the seats and under the seats. We had to pull the little ones down because they didn't really know, so they [were] asking questions, but we just told them to get down," one girl who was in the van told CBS 2's Pablo Guzman.
Despite the desperation and scare caused by the shooting, even the church's pastor, Rev. Reginald McRae, agreed the situation could have been much worse. He acknowledged a higher power was at work in keeping the children safe.
"I think, because of the grace of God, and that His mercy prevailed and saved lives," McRae told Guzman.
Jersey City police have already made an arrest in connection with the shooting and said there may be more.
Police Chief Tom Comey described the crossfire to reporters and called it a "nightmare."
"It's any chief's nightmare, you have a busload of children," Comey said.
Meanwhile, the children were brought back to the church Wednesday, where grief counselors and police were on hard.
For those who were in the van when the gun violence erupted, the traumatic even is something they said they won't soon forget.
"I had a little nightmare, but that was fine. My mom just told me to come in her room and sleep with her," one girl said.
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