Innocent bystander shot in Hartford slapped with towing fees after car taken to lot

As an innocent bystander was recovering from being shot in the face in Hartford, she was also slapped with hundreds of dollars in towing fees that followed the night of the shooting.

Eboneè Grandville was driving home to East Hartford from a friend’s house in Hartford when a bullet smashed her car window.

“All I heard was the window shatter, and I felt my tooth burst,” she said.

That was almost a month ago, and the bullet is still lodged in her jaw. Grandville said it took weeks to be able to form words.

“It is hard to sleep at night; there is some memory loss,” she said. “Every day I think about it, there’s always a flashback.”

Police are still looking for who fired the gun, and Grandville was left wondering who did this to her.

When she left the hospital after a week, she started asking questions about her car she had to leave behind.

“I use that car for extra income to support me and my son and I am my son’s only parent,” she explained.

After three weeks, Grandville learned her car was taken to a tow lot in the city, and the cost to get it out totaled more than $1,000.

Her friends turned to crowdfunding, but she couldn’t wait long.

“I was on a time crunch here,” Grandville said. “The fees go up every day at a toll yard.”

Grandville used online donations and her own money to get the car, hoping her insurance would pay her back.  

She took her concerns to police, who didn’t provide a comment to NBC Connecticut on this story. She also went to the city, and they agreed that a victim shouldn’t have to shell out cash.

In a statement, Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam said,

“I was heartbroken to learn about the senseless act of gun violence that left a member of our community in the hospital and with unfair fees from a towing company. I’ve spoken with the victim, and I’m committed to ensuring our city can provide support during this critical time of need. My office will remain in contact with her in the coming weeks.”

The city is also exploring ways they can help those in dire situations like this.

While Grandville is grateful for the help from the city and the community, she continues to deal with the pain of being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“I’m sad I’m not the same. I don’t have feeling on the inside of my lip. I talk funny, I’m a new person,” she said. “Just being a person driving down the street, like I didn’t do anything wrong. Why am I here?”

Grandville is in the process of getting her broken window fixed. She said she’ll be living with that bullet in her jaw for six months to a year before doctors can remove it.

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