Father of Texas Girl, 6, Shot at McDonald's Drive-thru Relives Horrific Moment: 'There Was Blood Everywhere'

The father of a six-year-old girl who was shot as she sat in their family car at a McDonald's drive-thru in Houston, Texas, spoke of the moment he realized a bullet had hit his young daughter.

Claire Tidwell was hit in the leg by a stray bullet fired from the gun of a nearby security guard who was shooting at two robbery suspects at around 3.50 p.m. on Monday, Houston Police Department said. One suspect and the girl were hit and both were taken to hospital.

"She's okay. She's stable," Danny Tidwell, the girl's father, told KTRK. "There was gunshots. We were sitting in the car, ordering food. All of a sudden, gunshots started going off everywhere. It was so loud that we knew it was close. It was so close that we ducked in the seat, because we couldn't tell where it was coming from.

"As the shots were going off, my daughter said, 'Daddy, I'm hurt.' I turned around and there was blood everywhere. I knew she was shot, so I just left." He drove home to his wife and they called for help.

On a GoFundMe page for donations to help the family through this "extremely tough time," Tidwell said his daughter "saw I was about to lose it as I struggled to stop the bleeding.

"She tried to reassure me: 'Daddy, I'm OK. I'm going to be fine.' Claire has shown more courage and strength than any six-year-old you could imagine," he wrote.

"Claire is now stable after her surgery, but the road to recovery ahead is long and expensive. We will post more details as they become available, but between the surgery, the follow-up treatments, the physical therapy, and more, we are facing tens of thousands of dollars in expenses in this difficult battle ahead."

Jessica Montanez, the girl's aunt, told KSDK that Tidwell had a three-hour surgery to remove the bullet from her leg on Tuesday. The girl then took her first steps but she may need rehab to fully recover.

"The gunshot wound alone was big and her little leg is tiny," Montanez said. "Thank you God is all I can say."

According to WESH, Christopher Bradley, 28, a commissioned security officer, is held in police custody over the incident in which he fired 10 shots. Bradley may face charges.

"He saw the theft happening in progress. He pulled his weapon and actually shot the suspect," Officer Anthony Le of Houston Police Department's Major Assaults Division told WESH.

"I'm grateful that she's alive," Montanez told KSDK. "That's most important. It could have been a lot worse. More people could have been struck. I heard 9 bullets were fired in the air, in a strip mall full of people."

Sherhonda Bradley, the security guard's mother, raced to the scene after the shooting, reported ABC 13. She said her son worried about crime at the cell phone store and the danger he faced. He also told her he thought he was doing the right thing by shooting at the suspects.

"I don't even know the little girl, but I know my heart is breaking for all of them," Sherhonda Bradley said.