Sheryl Lee Ralph remembers her reaction after son shot

Sheryl Lee Ralph is a mother of two. And as a parent, she recalled her elder son, Etienne, went not once but twice into the mouth of dangers which proved to be a great strain on her mental health.

During an interview with PEOPLE, the Abbott Elementary actress said, “When Etienne was in college, he had a car accident and suffered a concussion. It changed his whole brain."

“Then he got mugged, and they shot him three times. He woke up in the hospital with two bullets in his leg and a wound in his forehead where a bullet had grazed him," she added.

The 66-year-old remembered that when she learned her son was shot, she “collapsed and dropped the phone.”

“I didn’t even listen to the rest. But they didn’t kill him, thank God,” the Emmy-winner continued.

“Now he runs his own production company and nonprofit, WalkGoodLA, which is centered around healing, mental health and overall well-being.”

Ralph was married to Eric Maurice but divorced in 2001. They shared two kids.