Quentin Daniel was at his daughter’s side again at Grady Memorial Hospital Thursday morning as the medical team prepared for another surgery.
“I’m holding her hand as we speak,” he told a reporter about his beloved, Jazzmin, 25.
The Daniel family and others have spent hours at the hospital since Wednesday when their lives were turned upside down after Daniel and three other women were brought to Grady with life-threatening wounds from a shooting at the Northside Hospital Midtown medical office building that shook the city and nation.
Another victim, Amy St. Pierre, 38, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worker who specialized in maternal and infant mortality, died at the scene.
Daniel was hit multiple times in the abdomen area, Lisa Glynn was shot in the abdomen, Alesha Hollinger was shot in the face, and Georgette Whitlow was shot in the arm, according to police records.
Three of the women remained in intensive care Thursday, while the other was in stable condition, Grady Memorial Hospital officials said.
Grady Memorial Hospital Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Jansen told reporters he spoke with two of the victims.
“They have been traumatized. They are very grateful for the support and care they’ve received, but they realize that this is a horrific event and the fact that they were in a health care facility just makes it worse,” Jansen said.
A few miles from the hospital, neighbors gathered on the sidewalk outside the St. Pierre home in a residential area of Midtown on Thursday morning to lend their love for the family.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
It’s a close-knit community along the street, they said, and neighbors are doing whatever they can to support St. Pierre’s husband and children. She had a daughter, 8, and a son, 5.
In a statement emailed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the family said, “Our beloved Amy was brilliant, kind, big-hearted and simply the ‘best of the best.’ "
An Emory University honors graduate and getting an MBA from Georgia State University, the family said, St. Pierre traveled the world “with curiosity and courage.”
Her family said she was driven by compassion, both in her work in the field of maternal mortality, and in her everyday life.
“Amy was selfless always, she wanted more for others but never for herself. Generous supporter of worthy causes, she was the social conscience of our family,” the statement said.
Neighbors Samira and Corey Turner said St. Pierre hosted playdates for their children and often led the coordination of neighborhood gifts for elderly or injured neighbors. On Tuesday, St. Pierre was coordinating an appreciation gift for the neighborhood’s school bus driver and collecting clothes to donate to kids in need.
Credit: Miguel Martinez
Credit: Miguel Martinez
St. Pierre was at the office building for an appointment, loved ones said.
Daniel worked in the office’s reception area, a job she’s had for about six months, her father said. She was days away from transferring to another location, he added.
Quentin Daniel said he received a call Wednesday from Grady Memorial Hospital telling him to get to the hospital. He said Wednesday’s procedure “went well.”
Family members have been spending time at Grady, sharing their love for Jazzmin, a mother to a 1-year-old boy: “They flooded the hospital last night,” he said.
Jazzmin’s “dream job” is to be a teacher. She lined up a teaching job, to start this summer, at Gwinnett County Public Schools, her father said. She studied early childhood education in college and graduated from Martin Luther King Jr. High School in DeKalb County, her father said.
He said his daughter is able to move all of her limbs, though she hadn’t been able to speak because of a tracheostomy.
Hollinger, 48, of Acworth, works at a pharmaceutical company and has volunteered with several organizations including Make-A-Wish Georgia, which grants wishes to local children facing extraordinary medical challenges.
Robert Murphy, with external communications for Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, confirmed Hollinger is an employee with the company.
“Everyone at Otsuka Pharmaceuticals is shocked and saddened by yet another shooting in our country,” Murphy said in a company statement. “We are devastated that one of our own employees was wounded in this tragic event. Our hearts and thoughts are with all of the victims, their families, friends, and colleagues who have been forever impacted by this tragedy and other similar tragedies. This senseless violence undermines the safety, security, mental and physical health of our neighbors, coworkers, and communities.”
Hollinger works as a health science adviser, according to her Linkedin profile. The profile highlights her various roles in the pharmaceutical industry, including sales, marketing and account management. She describes herself as “passionate about helping to improve patient lives and lifelong learner” in the profile.
Amy Alvarez, a spokesperson for Make-A-Wish Georgia, said in statement, “We are absolutely heartbroken for the victims who have been impacted by this tragedy.“
Credit: custom
Credit: custom
Efforts to contact friends or family members of Glynn and Whitlow were unsuccessful Thursday.
Back at Grady, Jansen told reporters the four women have a long and difficult road to a full recovery.
“Physically, they all have a ways to go. I think psychologically and mentally, we have to also remember that, the impact on them and their families,” Jansen said. “You know, you can’t underestimate how traumatic this is. And they have a long way to go.”
Staff writers Cassidy Alexander and Martha Dalton contributed to this article.
