‘The biggest fighter:’ Mom of Brunswick toddler shot at family dinner shares update on his condition

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Brunswick toddler is fighting for his life after he was shot during a family gathering last Friday night. Glynn County Police said the suspect is still on the run with felony warrants for his arrest.

Family identified the two-year-old as Landan Jenkins. He was at his grandmother’s house for a family dinner.

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“We hear multiple gun shots being fired and next thing you know, my friend is screaming, ‘The baby! The baby! The baby!’” Alyse Jenkins, Landan’s mother, said. “I find my baby on the ground and I just lose it.”

Jenkins’ youngest child was rushed to Wolfson Children’s Hospital in Jacksonville where doctors cared for him in the intensive care unit. She said a bullet struck his spine and while doctors expect a full recovery, he has a long way to go.

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“He’s been the biggest fighter. That’s my baby. He’s the strongest out of all of them. He’s the life of the house.”

Landan is the youngest of three boys, but not for long. Alyse is pregnant with her fourth, a daughter, expected in about ten weeks. She said family has been her strongest support through her son’s surgeries.

Police said Aaron Holland has been on the run and should be considered armed and dangerous. Jenkins said he’s a close family friend and was acting strange in the bathroom alone when shots rang out. She’s now begging him to turn himself in.

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Police said several adults and four children under 10 years old were in the house at the time. Jenkins said Holland is also a father himself.

“There is no explanation for it,” Jenkins told Action News Jax’s Robert Grant. “I understand [he’s] got whatever else going on. But this is a baby. This is a totally different situation.”

After surgery Tuesday, Jenkins said doctors will work on Landan’s lower body movement over time. The family created a GoFundMe to help with the cost of care. They’re also asking for prayers.

PHOTOS: Mom of Brunswick toddler shot at family dinner shares update on his condition

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Landan Jenkins A Brunswick toddler is fighting for his life after he was shot during a family gathering last Friday night. Family identified the two-year-old as Landan Jenkins.

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