SANFORD, Fla. – Newly released video from the Sanford Police Department shows teens running as shots were fired on Scott Drive last April.
Layla Bennett, a bystander who was 17 years old at the time, was caught in the crossfire and shot in the head.
“I always said it was like a movie,” Bennett told our News 6 team after she saw the video.
A security camera captured a red SUV driving in front of the home where Bennett was standing outside on April 29, 2024. In the video a gunman can be seen hanging out of the backseat as shots are fired.
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Bennett says she remembers going to her friend’s house, but she doesn’t remember much else once the gunfire began.
“I remember going there and getting my things because her mom said like, ‘go inside.’ And it was weird because we always stand outside. So, I was like, ‘ok, I’m coming. But I didn’t think it was urgent,” said Bennett. “They came around like three minutes, I don’t know. It was quick.”
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Bennett was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, and police said another teen also had minor injuries.
Another video released by Sanford Police shows three suspects getting out of the same red SUV at an apartment complex, according to detectives. They believe four people were inside the vehicle at the time of the shooting.
Investigators found the SUV shortly after, but they have still not identified the suspects. Police tell News 6 that is why they are releasing the video now with the hope that it will lead to a breakthrough in the case.
Bennett tells News 6 she also hopes anyone with information does the right thing and comes forward. She has been through a long recovery process. Right after the shooting she was in a coma for two weeks, and has had to relearn how to walk, talk and write.
At the end of this month, she will finally be walking across the stage at graduation.
“I always say, ‘I’ll get my justice,’” said Bennett.