Woman shot in head during Takeoff murder has $200,000 in medical bills
Topics: US News, Crime, Health, Mental Health
Daisy Phillipson
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/The Shade Room
Topics: US News, Crime, Health, Mental Health
A woman who was shot in the head during the attack which saw rapper Takeoff get killed claims she now owes more than $200,000 in medical bills.
Sydney Leday was one of three people who was shot in the dispute which unfolded outside a bowling alley in Houston, Texas, on 1 November, 2022.
While she and another victim survived, Houston Police confirmed that 28-year-old rapper Takeoff - real name Kirsnick Khari Ball - tragically died from the attack, which was described as 'senseless violence'.
Takeoff was the youngest member of Migos, the Grammy-nominated rap trio from suburban Atlanta that also featured his uncle Quavo and cousin Offset.
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Now, almost five months on, Sydney has opened up about the ordeal in the latest episode of The Shade Room Investigates, and how it's been a long road to recovery.
She had been out that night for her 24th birthday when she got invited to a late night party thrown by music exec J Prince at the city's 810 Billiards & Bowling.
When it came time to leave, tensions began to rise between some of the guests. Sydney tried to escape as soon as she saw weapons being pulled out.
"Everything happened within a few seconds and as soon as I saw a weapon I tried to hurry up and get out of there," she told the outlet.
As the 24-year-old ran to an escalator, she was shot in the head and fell to the ground, unaware as to what had just happened.
After being rushed to the hospital, Sydney ended up in a coma for days before waking up to confusion and pain.
She's now been left with a bald spot in her head and attends therapy to deal with her PTSD from the incident.
Police later identified 33-year-old Patrick Xavier Clark as a suspect in Takeoff's murder, and he's since been arrested and is awaiting trial.
Texas officials confirmed to Atlanta News First that Clark is scheduled to appear in court in May.
Although authorities are yet to identify the perpetrator who shot Sydney, her focus right now is on recovery.
"It's just God's grace that I'm still here and I'm able to not look like what I've been through," she said.
Speaking about the impact it's had on her, she continued: "For New Year's Eve, you can only imagine what that was like. Just constantly hearing the popping.
"I want to be able to feel normal again."
As well as dealing with the physical and mental trauma, the outlet explained that she's in a reported $200,000 debt to the hospital that treated her.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help her cover the costs, having raised $15,000 of its $150,000 goal so far. If you would like to donate, click here.