Aug 5, 2008 11:32 pm US/Eastern
Boy, 9, Struck In Head By Stray Bullet In Brooklyn
Shamshawan Kelly Shot Outside His Flatbush Home While Playing On The Street
Community Says It Has Had It With Gun Violence
BROOKLYN (CBS) ―
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Shamshawan Kelly, 9, was shot in the head while playing in the street outside his Brooklyn home on August 4, 2008.
CBS
A 9-year-old Brooklyn boy continues to fight for his life after he was caught in the crossfire of a gun battle outside his home.
Neighbors say they are fed up with the violence. The community is coming together over this awful tragedy.
On Tuesday night on Pacific Avenue, where 9-year-old Shamshawan Kelly was shot in the crossfire, hundreds gathered to pray for his recovery.
"And so we are praying that you raise him out of that bed and make him better than ever before," one neighbor said to the crowd.
Kelly's brother said the gatherings are making a difference.
"You think the chips are down things like this … people like ya'll show me why life and love is important," John Flocker said.
Just after 9 p.m. on Monday on the sidewalk outside the Weeksville Houses where Kelly lives, a gunfight broke out between two men.
Kelly was shot in the head by a stray bullet. The heartless gunmen took off, leaving the young boy bleeding on the ground.
His story has the city demanding change.
"Tragedy... This is a child who should be in school in four weeks, now we pray the child just lives," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.
Jackie Rowe Adams of Harlem Mothers SAVE had a message for the community.
"Young people listen to me. Stop with these guns. If you see something say something. It's not snitching. It's saving a life," Adams said.
Community advocates urged the neighborhood to take control of their streets, embrace their children and vow to protect their future.
While Shamshawan Kelly's condition is improving, his family is facing yet another challenge. They have no medical insurance to pay for his hospital bills. The community is establishing a fund at Carver Bank to help them with their financial struggle.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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