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Orlando mother shot in January dies after long struggle with injuries, family seeks justice

ORLANDO, Fla. — An Orlando woman, who was shot in the neck in January, has succumbed to her injuries and her killer still hasn't been caught.

The woman’s mother is now talking about the family's struggle over the past 10 months.

Michelle Jenkins last spoke with her daughter Tabitha Tavernier on Oct. 29.

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“And as many times as I told her, ‘No we're not giving up,’ my heart told me don't do this anymore, don't put her through anymore,” Jenkins said.

The 33-year-old had been in and out of hospitals since Jan. 7, when the Orange County Sheriff's Office said she was shot at an apartment complex on Americana Boulevard near South Texas Avenue.

Deputies found her unconscious behind the wheel of her car, which had somehow crashed through a fence and landed in a drainage canal.

“The police showed up at my door at 12:30 at night,” Jenkins said. “She was shot in the neck and she became a quadriplegic after that.”

Jenkins says Tavernier was on life support for weeks, but she managed to get better, and insisted on meeting with investigators.

“She wasn't talking. She was mouthing. So they were able to take a statement from her,” Jenkins said.

The Sheriff's Office hasn't announced any arrests yet, but Jenkins is hopeful.

Tavernier leaves behind two children, ages 12 and 13.

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