Pregnant St. Louis Woman Praises Jesus After Losing Eye; Vows to Get Justice After Police Fired Bean Bag Through Car Window During Riots
The pregnant mother who lost an eye during a violent run-in with police in Ferguson earlier this week, recently gave thanks to Jesus despite her horrifying ordeal.
Dornnella Conner was sitting inside of her boyfriend's car at a BP gas station early Tuesday, hours after the Michael Brown grand jury verdict, when a police officer fired a non-lethal 'bean bag' round at them. This caused the glass window to shatter and her face was left bloodied and severely injured.
The couple was traveling through the riots in the Missouri city when the incident occurred. Police had reportedly moved in to clear the area when an officer fired at them.
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Yesterday Conner, who is still recovering physically and emotionally, took to her personal Facebook page to give thanks in the spirit of Thanksgiving.
"… I'm soo thankful that im here too spend thanksgiving with my family and my kids even tho im still in pain ... but most of all im thankful for god given me a other chance to see the world my family and most of all my fb friends and supports," Conner wrote before vowing to seek justice. "I will have justice for what they did to me but I'm happy I'm alive thank u Jesus love u everyone."
Conner claims the St. Louis county police had blocked their exit from the gas station "from the side and the back" and that her boyfriend, De'Angelas Lee, was simply trying to drive around them, however; police have painted a different picture.
"They pulled up while we were coming towards the street, De'Anglas was trying to get away," Conner who was left blind in her left eye and can barely see out of her right eye told kmov.com.
Police say Lee, who is wanted by police, drove directly at them and that the officer fired at the car because he feared for his life.
An arrest warrant has been issued for Lee and his bond is currently set at $50,000.
"I didn't have any weapons, I wasn't looting or anything. I was just out with my boyfriend. We was just riding around respecting Mike Brown," she said.
Sixteen arrests were made following reports of gunfire coming from the gas station.
Conner's father Donnell slammed law enforcement's handling of the situation which saw his pregnant daughter lose an eye.
"I'm very upset, very disappointed with tactics that they used trying to get control of situation," said Donnell Conner. "I understand [it's a] tough job, I understand that it was chaos, there was no reason to fire upon innocent person sitting in a vehicle."
On Monday, a St. Louis grand jury cleared Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the shooting death of 18-year-old Brown and the decision sparked at least 170 protests in cities across the nation, reported CNN.
In Ferguson, looters smashed windows out of police cars and several establishments, including Brown's family church, were set ablaze as civil unrest continues. The destruction is reported to have cost the city millions in repair bills.
President Barack Obama, as well as the Brown family, denounced violent reactions and called for peaceful protests.
"We need to accept that this decision was the grand jury's to make," he said. "It's an outcome that, either way, was going to be a subject of intense disagreement not only in Ferguson, but across America."
