Nationwide — Kierra Maxwell, an African American mother from Memphis, Tennessee, was pregnant when she was ambushed in her driveway and shot ten times. Her boyfriend was killed during the attack, and her survival story is now part of growing calls for federal intervention in the city.
One year ago, Maxwell and her boyfriend, Maurice Dorsey, were attacked outside their home on Northmoor Avenue in Raleigh. She said gunmen hid in the bushes and opened fire around 9 p.m. The first bullets struck Dorsey, who collapsed on her. Maxwell recalled fearing she had been shot in the stomach, she told Fox 13 Memphis.
Maxwell was shot multiple times but managed to survive. Inside the house, her 8-year-old son pulled her to safety. She was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, where doctors worked to save her life and her unborn child.
Maxwell’s injuries were severe. She lost her Achilles tendon and part of her left leg. She spent weeks in the hospital as doctors weighed whether to amputate. Despite the pain and long recovery, she carried her pregnancy to term and gave birth to a healthy son five months later while still recovering with a fixator on her leg.
The attack left her with lasting pain, but Maxwell said she keeps going for her two young boys. Each day, she forces herself to walk to show them strength.
“After getting shot like 10x, it hurts every day. I just get up and try to walk just to show them the resilience and just show them even if it hurts, turn that pain into something else and do it,” she said.
Her mother, Melody Martin, remembers fearing the worst that night. “I was just praying to God that I wouldn’t have to make the decision of whether to save my daughter’s life or my grandson’s life,” she said.
Maxwell’s survival has now become part of a larger conversation about Memphis crime. With rising violence, many residents are demanding stronger protections, including the deployment of the National Guard. Police said no arrests have been made, and the investigation is still ongoing.