On Thursday, December 21, 2023, a 27-year-old pregnant woman from Aurora, Colorado, was wounded when a stray bullet struck her while she was asleep next to her husband at home. The bullet narrowly missed her two young children, ages five and six, who were sleeping nearby in their room.
Kendall Heinold and her family were abruptly awoken by gunfire. The expecting mom, experiencing a sharp pain in her left side, realized she had been shot and urgently requested her husband to call 911.
The bullet, which lodged in her shoulder, is believed to have traveled hundreds of feet, passing over a greenbelt area behind the family’s home before entering their home.
She was rushed to a hospital where doctors, taking into account her 16-week pregnancy, decided against surgery to remove the bullet to avoid the risks associated with anesthesia. Instead, they opted to leave the bullet in her shoulder until after she gives birth.
Heinold discovered a bullet hole in her children’s bedroom. She recounted that the bullet first passed through the children’s room, missing her daughter’s head by about a foot, before traveling through her closet and into her pregnancy pillow. She credits the pillow for altering the bullet’s trajectory, potentially saving her life.
Security footage from a neighbor’s home captured at least eight gunshots, hinting at the severity of the incident that night. Heinold expressed her relief that the bullet did not harm her children, unborn baby, husband, or dog, though she emphasized the indiscriminate danger of gunfire and the importance of firearm responsibility.
The Aurora Police Department is investigating the source of the gunfire.