Woman shot in Takeoff killing calls her survival a ‘miracle’

‘I really never dress up for Halloween and that was something I was excited about’

A woman injured in the fatal shooting of rapper TakeOff has said that her survival is a “miracle”.

When the 1 November shooting took place, Sydney Leday, who had recently turned 24, was out celebrating her birthday and Halloween with a group of friends.

“Like any other 24-year-old, I was just out partying and celebrating,” she told KHOU 11.

Ms Leday, a Los Angeles resident, said she wasn’t star-struck when she arrived at the private Houston party and seeing rappers TakeOff and Quavo of the group Migos.

She noted that she was dressed up as a nun.

“I really never dress up for Halloween and that was something I was excited about,” she told the local TV station.

She said it was a regular party until things went awry.

At around 2.30am, when the night was starting to come to an end, she said she had a feeling that something wasn’t right. She spotted Quavo playing dice and getting upset. She thought it was a friendly interaction before realising that something bad may be about to take place.

“That’s when I knew something was wrong,” she told KHOU 11.

Sydney Leday, 24, was injured in the fatal shooting of rapper TakeOff (Screenshot / KHOU11)

The argument between the dice players grew heated fast, she recalled, adding that she began to run from the scene when shots were fired just outside the 810 Billiards and Bowling Alley.

The 24-year-old said she fell to the ground and had a stinging feeling at the back of her head. She then got down an escalator, entered the car of a friend and they drove the 12 minutes to Memorial Hermann Hospital.

She spent some time intubated and in a coma, telling the outlet that she remembered first waking up in the hospital with her family gathered there.

“I was in the hospital for about a week. I didn’t really want to be there,” she told the station. “I really just can say I’m grateful to be here.”

She remembers calling her mother on the way to the hospital, just before she had a seizure.

“I remember what happened because I was up the whole time after I got shot in the head and I called my mom and told her what happened and told her to come,” to the hospital, she said.

After feeling the stinging at the back of her head, she said she realized that she was severely injured. Fortunately, she was able to go home after a week.

She said the “real stuff started” when she got home, such as panic attacks and having no appetite.

Ms Leday said she wasn’t aware anyone else had been shot that night, adding that she feels terrible that others ended up in harm’s way.