This October in Manchester, England, 7-year-old Christian Hickey and his mother Jane Hickey, age 30, were in their home. There was a knock at the door. Jane answered the door and found two men on her doorstep. After a brief conversation, one of the men pulled out a gun and opened fire. Jane was shot once in each leg, Christian was shot in one leg.
The assailants escaped before the police could arrive. Both mother and son were transported to the hospital.
After multiple surgeries, both Christian and Jane Hickey returned home to recover from their injuries. However, memories from that terrible evening continues to haunt the young boy and his mother.
Christian, like many children, wrote his Christmas wish list to Santa this year. Here’s a picture.
Christian’s number one request was:
“Help the police catch the people who hurt me.”
Christian also asked for other normal gifts, like a remote helicopter and walkie talkies. However, Christian’s letter touched the hearts of a lot of people at the Manchester Police Department.
Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson of the Greater Manchester Police Serious Crime Division said:
“It is heart wrenching to know that a little boy who should be writing a list filled with exciting gifts has got this at the top of his Christmas list.
What happened to Christian will stay with him for the rest of his life but what we can do is try to make this up to him by finding those responsible and bringing them to justice.
These people have absolutely no place in civilized society and we remain as determined as ever to find them.
“We are continuing to appeal for information and I would like to urge anybody who may know something to please get in touch.
Anybody with information should contact police on 0161 856 9775 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.”
For the sake of Christian and his mother’s peace of mind I hope these cowards are caught and punished. No child and his mother should suffer the kind of fear and pain that Christian and Jane Hickey experienced, especially during the holidays. But if there’s one gift that I’m sure both mother and son are grateful for it’s the gift of still having each other to hold this Christmas.
This is footage taken outside of the home after the shooting.
Featured image by, myfourboys.com available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license.
