A 22-month-old girl from Spring Hill, Tennessee survived being shot in the head by a stray bullet while sleeping in her crib. Doctors say it’s a miracle she’s alive.
Sometimes bad things happen to good people, and it makes us wonder where God is in all of it. We ask ourselves why He lets terrible things touch innocent families.
But when you hear what happened to little London Layne, you’ll see that God was there every step of the way.
The Night Everything Changed
Leslie and J.P. Layne were getting ready for bed just before 1 a.m. on June 6 when they heard loud noises outside their Spring Hill home. At first, Leslie thought it was fireworks. But J.P. knew better.
“We weren’t really sure what we heard. At first, it was ‘Is that fireworks?’ And he goes, ‘No, I think it’s gunfire,'” Leslie remembered.
Two teenagers from Columbia had gotten into a shootout after a drug deal went wrong. They fired 15 rounds at each other right in the street.
Several bullets hit the Layne house where four young children were sleeping peacefully – a 6-year-old, a 4-year-old, a 3-year-old, and 22-month-old London.
The worst part? One bullet went through the wall and hit 22-month-old London Layne in the head while she slept in her crib.
Leslie opened the front door and saw a car speeding away. That’s when J.P. ran to check on London.
“I opened the front door, see the car speeding off; he opens [London’s] bedroom door and screams, ‘She’s bleeding!’ And I’m like, ‘What?!’ She was just, blood everywhere,” Leslie said.
God’s Perfect Timing
What happened next still amazes the doctors at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. The bullet fractured London’s skull and caused her brain to bleed. But somehow, it hit in just the right spot.
“They said if it had been a millimeter further, she would have bled out before EMS got there,” Leslie explained.
The doctors told them if the bullet had hit even a tiny bit differently, London would have died or needed major brain surgery.
But here’s the amazing part. Just days before the shooting, Leslie felt like she needed to change London’s crib. She switched it out for a much sturdier wooden crib that had been passed down in the family. This crib had thick wooden spindles.
When the bullet came through the wall, it hit one of those wooden spindles first. The wood absorbed most of the bullet’s force before it reached London.
“All the debris we saw on top of her head we assumed was skull, and we got to the hospital and they’re like, ‘It’s wood,’ from where the spindle exploded as the bullet hit it, and I was like, ‘Thank you, Jesus,'” Leslie said.
A House Built on God’s Word
The Laynes had done something special when they built their home. They wrote Bible verses on all the wooden beams and frames before the walls went up. Every room has scripture written behind the walls.
“We wanted our house to be built on the word of God and to be surrounded by the word of God,” Leslie explained.
When this terrible thing happened, Leslie knew God had been working all along. “The Lord was behind the scenes, working the entire time,” she said.
“God didn’t let this happen. God allows free will and we live in a fallen world where evil walks. But what God did is he offered protection and he ordered every step to protect her that night because nothing was a surprise to God.”
The Hospital Stay
London was rushed to Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. The doctors were shocked by what they saw.
Children don’t usually survive gunshot wounds to the head. And when they do, they need major surgery and long hospital stays.
But London was different. She was released from the hospital in just 36 hours.
“I heard from the doctors at Vanderbilt this is a miracle situation,” J.P. said.
“This whole situation has been touched by God, for the fact that the gunshot came in just perfectly, it hit the spindle, the spindle dispersed the energy.”
The doctors said they had never seen anything like it. London didn’t need surgery to her brain. She didn’t have too much bleeding or pressure in her head.
Coming Home
Today, London wears a bicycle helmet to protect her healing skull. She’s learning to walk and talk again. The doctors say she should make a full recovery with no lasting problems.
But the family faces other challenges. All four children are dealing with trauma from that night. Their safe home was violated by violence.
London has nightmares and trouble sleeping. She used to sleep through the night, but now she wakes up screaming.
“The trauma will be, that’s what I’m combating right now with her and all my other kids, just the trauma aspect of your safe haven being violated,” Leslie said.
The Community Responds
The Spring Hill community has wrapped their arms around the Layne family. Neighbors put up “Justice for London” signs in their yards. Churches have offered help.
People have started a GoFundMe to help pay for London’s medical bills.
J.P. is amazed by the love they’ve received. “This makes our second home in this neighborhood and in this area, and we chose it because it’s family,” he said. “This neighborhood is a lot like Mayberry most days.”
Grace for the Shooters
Here’s what really shows the Laynes’ faith. Instead of just being angry, they’re praying for the two teenagers who caused this. J.P. wants justice, but he also wants restoration.
“Two young men have completely changed the course of their lives and the course of our daughter’s, and we have to pay attention to that because it’s not necessarily about ‘Hey, look, you did one wrong action and let’s throw you to the wolves.’ We’ve got to help them to be rehabilitated and we have to be mindful of that through this process,” J.P. said.
A 17-year-old was charged with attempted second-degree murder and other crimes. An 18-year-old was arrested for reckless endangerment. Police say more charges might come.
Faith Made Stronger
This experience didn’t break the Layne family’s faith. It made it stronger. J.P. learned something important about trusting God.
“This is our miracle… and God still moves,” he said. “He moves mountains every day and it’s the testimony of what’s happened that has made it so great to us and helped us to rejoice throughout it.”
Leslie refused to let fear win. Her first thought was to sell the house and move away. But then she changed her mind.
“Why would I allow the enemy to steal my home? And everything that we built from the ground up to honor God?” she said. “God did exactly what God promises he’ll do. He protected us.”
A Message of Hope
London’s story reminds us that God sees everything. He knows what’s coming before we do.
The Laynes built their house on God’s word, and God kept His promises. He saved their little girl in ways that still amaze the doctors. He brought their community together. He gave them grace to forgive.
Let’s pray for London’s complete healing and for all families touched by gun violence. And let’s remember that our God still works miracles today.
WATCH: Stray Bullet Hits Sleeping 22-Month-Old and Doctors Call Her Survival a Miracle
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