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 "The world stopped" on September 14th for Los Angeles girl duo, The Bangz, when member Ella Ann was hit in the neck by a stray bullet while driving around Los Angeles with a friend.
Fortunately, she's alive. However, she was unconscious for almost a month, following three surgeries in wake of the shooting. In October, she finally awoke from her coma, and her condition has continued to improve regularly.
While things are looking good now, Ella Ann (real name: Korttney Elliott) has a long road ahead of her.
Her partner-in-crime, Sabi, has been keeping fans updated on their situation, via Twitter. In a recent interview with MTV, she revealed that, initially, she didn't think the shooting wasn't going to be that bad.
"I honestly didn't think it was that bad," Sabi told MTV. "Ella parties a lot, so I was thinking, 'Maybe she was out and about.' She caught a stray bullet. I didn't think it was gonna be as serious as it was.
"When we got to the hospital, I remember walking through the emergency room," she continued. "I didn't know what to expect. When I saw the face of her stepfather and her mother, I knew it was something very serious. I immediately started crying. I said, 'Please tell me she's not ... ' I thought the worst happened. They thought the worst happened. [The doctors] said she was practically brain-dead basically. Then they found some brain activity and it was a little shine of light. It was a roller-coaster situation. Then they got her somewhat stabilized, but she was in such a critical condition. It was a really awkward, stressful, shocking situation. The whole world just stopped."
Over the summer, the Los Angeles duo began to see their music career grow legs, as their "Boys With Tattoos (We Jerkin)" track began to bubble, eventually gaining heavy rotation on DJ Felli Fel's Power 106 radio show.
The two females were bringing something different to the bubbling jerk movement that gain the mainstream's attention by male duo, the New Boyz. But, the shooting happened and things just stopped.
Despite the shooting, Sabi says Ella Ann will recover, but is undergoing physical therapy to get back on her feet. However, she says it's not gonna slow her down one bit.
"She's doing good," Sabi said. "The fight is in her to get better. She's such a rock-and-roll chic. This is not gonna slow her down at all. She's been getting physical therapy, speech therapy to get her back to where she was. The doctors say they expect a full recovery as long as she fights to get better. She has to push through these therapy sessions because it's really hard for her. When she got injured, she was unconscious for three weeks. Now she's fighting to get her mobility back. But she was aware. As soon as she opened her eyes three weeks later, she was aware."
Until then, Sabi is carrying the torch. She is currently preparing The Bangz' next single, "Found My Swag," a collaboration between the duo and the New Boyz.
Ella was supposed to lay her vocals for the record the night she was shot but never made it to the studio. It's unclear, however, if other vocals were included from Ella, or if she was left off the song all together.
Sabi filmed a music video for the single this week in Los Angeles.
Keep up with The Bangz via Twitter @ThaBangz.
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