Wounded Girl Scout, troop overwhelmed by cookie orders

The story of an Indianapolis Girl Scout wounded as she left home for a troop meeting about cookie sales generated a groundswell of compassion in the form of orders from across the country.

"We have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of community support following this senseless act," Deborah Hearn Smith, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Central Indiana, said in a statement.

Smith was referring to the response to the Feb. 3 shooting of 9-year-old Sinai Miller.

The Indianapolis girl woke up that day waiting to get her hands on her Girl Scout Cookies so she could start selling them door-to-door around her apartment complex. She had talked about the cookies when she got home from school. After finishing her homework, she pointed out to her mother that it was almost 4:30 p.m. — the time she was supposed to meet in the complex's clubhouse with the other girls to pick up the cookies and start knocking on doors.

She never made it to pick up the cookies.

Just as Sinai took a few steps outside her apartment, with one of her sisters next to her, the gunfire started. Her mother, Shanita Miller, was just inside the door, zipping up the coat of another daughter. When she heard the shots, she pushed two of her daughters back into the apartment. But Sinai darted past all of them. In silence. She went further inside the apartment and then started hollering.

She had been shot in the leg.

In the wake of news coverage of the shooting, people from across the country began purchasing cookies in Sinai's name. So many cookies, in fact, that Girl Scout officials needed help delivering the sweet treats.

"The challenge then became how to get those cookies delivered," Smith said. "(Monday) evening, dozens of volunteers from the four Amazon fulfillment centers in the Indianapolis-area donated their time and expertise to help the troop sort, pack and ship cookie orders from the company's Whitestown fulfillment center."

Dave Alperson, Amazon fulfillment general manager, said employees are always looking for ways to give back to the community.

"Sinai is a brave young girl and we were happy to jump in and lend our fulfillment expertise to help her and the troop fulfill this large volume of orders," he said. "The girls and Amazon volunteers had a lot of fun packing the cookies together."

Smith said Scout officials, as well as Sinai and her family, appreciate the help from Amazon Fulfillment workers. She added Sinai and her troop of 15 Girl Scouts plan to use the troop proceeds from the sale of their Girl Scout Cookies "to take a fun, educational trip later this year."

She added "Sinai has never had the opportunity to leave the city of Indianapolis."

Girl Scout Deana Potterf said cookie orders are continuing to come in for Sinai, but said the organization is not releasing how many boxes she "sold" after being wounded.

It is believed to be the first time in the U.S. — and certainly in Indiana — that a Girl Scout has been shot while involved in a cookie sales project, according to the Girls Scouts of Central Indiana.

Investigators said witnesses reported that after the shots were fired indiscriminately, an SUV took off. Sinai's apartment is in the 7200 block of Rue De Margot Drive, just off Michigan Road.

No arrest has been made.

Star reporter Robert King contributed to this story.

Call Star reporter Tim Evans at (317) 444-6204. Follow him on Twitter: @starwatchtim.