In a devastating turn of events early Thursday morning, a drug raid in Habersham County, Georgia left 19-month-old infant Bounkham Ponesavanh severely burned, in critical condition, and in a medically induced coma at the Grady Memorial Hospital burn unit.
Channel 2 Action News reported:
?A family says a SWAT team raided their home in the middle of the night and seriously injured a 19-month-old boy with a stun grenade.?
The mother of Bounkham Phonesavanh told the news channel that she had been staying with relatives in their home when the SWAT team entered the house and threw a stun grenade into the home, landing in the infant’s playpen where he slept next to his face. WSB-TV reported that the mother and child were only staying in the home as their own home and burnt down.
Alecia Phonesavanh:
The cops threw that grenade in the door without looking first, and it landed in his playpen and exploded on his pillow right in his face? He’s in the burn unit. We go up to see him and his whole face is ripped open. He has a big cut on his chest. He’s only 19 months old. He didn’t do anything.
Police Chief Rick Darby confirmed the incident had taken place and disclosed that drugs had been bought from the home and a warrant was issued.
?Deputies said they bought drugs from the house and came back with a no-knock warrant to arrest a man known to have drugs and weapons.?
Darby explained there was no indication of children residing in the home and expressed remorse over the events of that night:
?You’re trying to minimize anything that could go wrong and in this case the greatest thing went wrong. Is it going to make us be more careful in the next one? Yes ma?am, it is. It’s gonna make us double question.?
All things considered, yes, drugs were found in the home, and an arrest was made even. No, drugs are not legal. Yes, they had a warrant to go in without invitation. However, it is important to realize that a 19-month-old innocent child was severely injured and was an innocent victim of the chaos from the poor choices adults make. No matter what, a child was maimed and will most likely be left scarred. Police forces must take care to prevent this from happening. One is too many.
Watch the Channel 2 Action News Report below.
Liz Lee considers herself a modern woman of the South and hails from the swamps of South Georgia. She votes along no party line and prefers to look at issues from all angles before taking a stance. She takes particular interest in healthcare issues, mental health issues, and the battle for equality. She is also an emphatic advocate for the end to dog breed discrimination legislation. She is a wife, mother of one human child, mother to one furry American Bully, a college student, and also your typical everyday Wonder Woman. When she hangs up her cape, you can find her curled up in her office sewing, writing, playing World of Warcraft, or practicing banjo. You can follow her on Facebook to see what issue she is tackling.
