May 25, 2008 3:50 pm US/Central
Family Hopes Shooter of Toddler Surrenders
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Martrell Stevens was shot May 23 in front of his grandmother's house. The bullet narrowly missed his spinal cord.
CBS
There's some good news for the parents of a four-year-old shot in front of his grandmother's house. It happened in the 6400 block of South Bishop late Friday night.
The boy's mother says the bullet missed his spinal cord by a millimeter and that he could regain the ability to walk.
As CBS 2's Pamela Jones reports, his family hopes the suspect surrenders.
"I mean you won't know until you feel it yourself," said LaKeesha Rucker, the victim's mother.
Rucker is enduring a pain she says no mother should feel.
Friday night, her son was shot while he was strapped in his car seat. Police say it started at Rucker's mom's house, and that the shooter was arguing with Rucker's brother-in-law.
"The guy was getting mad because my brother-in-law said he didn't know where no marijuana was," Rucker recalled.
She says the suspect fired at her brother-in-law, hitting him, then aimed at her.
"He started shooting and I saw the sparks and stuff. And as I was in the car, he heard me and my nephew screaming," Rucker said.
She sped off, seeking shelter at her sister's home about a block away. That's when she noticed her little boy, Martrell Stevens, was wounded.
"Blood was coming out of my son's mouth," Rucker said.
Sunday, the crime scene tape is gone, but the fear of violence remains.
"The police is doing their job. But I just hope they, somebody just comes forward," said Lachonda Dotson, the victim's aunt.
In the meantime, they're praying this four-year-old will eventually be able to run and play like he used to.
"I work for Wentworth Elementary School and I read the newspaper everyday talking about all this violence, all these kids getting shot and everything and I never thought that I would be one of the people going through this right here," Rucker said.
Rucker tells us her son is trying to talk, but she has to keep him quiet so his blood pressure won't fluctuate. She plans to move her mother from this neighborhood once he recovers.
The man police say the suspect was arguing with 23-year-old Marcus Easton, was also wounded. He's still in the hospital in stable condition. The four-year-old remains in intensive care.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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