HOUSTON — A Houston mom said the man who allegedly stalked and beat her daughter is on the run.
On Sept. 29, the victim, 31-year-old Javoni, was dropped off by a rideshare at her apartment on Lockfield Road in northwest Houston.
Meanwhile, the victim is left with severe injuries, but the mom is hoping witnesses will come forward.
“As a mom, as long as she’s in good spirits, I’m in good spirits,” Shameka Fortner said.
Fortner spends every day checking in on her oldest child, who is still in the hospital.
Javoni is a mother of five working two jobs.
“She went into do a little self-care, take time for herself, go out to a paint and sip,” Fortner said.
Around 9:30 p.m., Fortner got a phone call.
“I heard her being hysterical in her voice and she just was calling out ‘mom, mom, someone tried to beat me to death with a bat,’” Fortner said.
Police said the suspect was driving a dark sedan when he followed the victim into the apartment complex. They said when the victim got out of the rideshare, the suspect got out of his car and assaulted her with either a club or bat
. Although she didn’t see her attacker, her family suspects it’s someone she knew.
“He has been making threats towards my daughter, they weren’t dating, this wasn’t a boyfriend or anything, it was someone she rejected,” she said.
The night of the assault, a witness who found Fortner injured called the police. According to HPD, Fortner was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
The mom believes her daughter used something to defend herself.
“I still have the purse she was holding, and if not for her purse I probably would’ve been burying my daughter last weekend, so yeah, she will be disabled for the rest of her life,” she said.
She’s grateful her daughter is alive but hopes the community can help police find the person responsible.
“The capture of this person needs to be top priority, there’s no telling how many times he’s done this,” she added.
The family also has a GoFundMe page to help with Fortner’s medical expenses. They also want to thank the witness who called the police and helped her daughter until first responders arrived.