Inside Sasha Rosa's Capitol Avenue apartment, she felt the worst moment of her life play out in seconds.
Tuesday night while she crocheted in the living room, her three youngest children sat down to watch a movie in the bedroom. That's when a bullet flew through the bedroom window and embedded itself into the wall. Another bullet hit the next window. Rosa screamed for her children to get down.
"Everything flashes right before your eyes. You just picture the worst," said Rosa. "That bullet could have hit one of my kids."
Fortunately, no one was hurt.
Immediately following the gunfire, nine-year-old Gabriella Felix felt it was up to her to keep her younger sister, Angielee, and her older brother, Adrian Jose, safe. Adrian is handicapped and has difficulty walking. He often uses a wheelchair to get around.
"I thought if I go last he'll be the second one out, and that'll be safer for him," said Gabriella. "I don't want to risk my little sister and big brother's life, so I'd rather risk mine."
After crawling away from the windows, Gabriella says she wondered if the shooters would try to come inside.
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"I thought what happened if they were shooting because we did something wrong to them?" said Gabriella.
Hartford police say the shooting had nothing to do with the family. Investigators found two shell casings outside and arrested 24-year-old Hector Gonzalez, who lives nearby. Two guns were found. Police say it's likely some shots were fired by a second person in self-defense. Authorities are not naming that individual. They say he had a permit for the gun and is cooperating with detectives.
"We all felt relieved that it was finally safe that the cops were here. It was safe," said Gabriella.
The family says they're grateful to police for putting them at ease. Rosa says they no longer feel safe in their home and plan to leave as soon as possible.
"My kids are my life, and for me to lose one of them ... I can't. I can't," said Rosa.
The shooting remains under investigation.
