Two boys wounded in Halloween mass shooting get surprise early Christmas gifts
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A community group organized a special surprise on Friday to help brighten the holidays for two boys wounded in a mass shooting on Halloween.
Members of the organization Mothers Opposed to Violence Everywhere (MOVE) provided the presents for two brothers, ages 3 and 13, who were among 14 people shot during a drive-by shooting on Halloween at California and Polk.
"They need to have something to put some joy on their face; to make them smile," said MOVE founder Louvenia Hood.
They were attending a vigil for a relative that died of natural causes, when the gunfire erupted.
The children and their mother were invited by MOVE to come to Greater Rock Missionary Baptist Church. What they didn't know was that they would be getting Air Jordans, winter coat, school supplies, and other early Christmas gifts for the boys.
We're not showing the faces of the boys or their mother, to protect them. Police are still investigating. The two shooters haven't been arrested.
"I struggle, because it's still pretty unbelievable that someone would shoot my children," their mother said.
The 13-year-old who was shot now uses a crutch to walk. His new Air Jordans replace the ones paramedics had to remove to treat him at the scene. He and his 3-year-old brother were both shot in their legs.
"Shots just rang out, and we went for cover, and when we came up, a bunch of my relatives, including two of my children, had been shot," their mother said.
She said it was a very dark moment in her son's young lives. While her children's physical wounds are healing, their emotional scars remain. The 3-year-old still has a bullet in his right leg.
"My younger son, he just doesn't want to leave the house at all. He doesn't know that he was shot. He keeps recalling the fireworks, and he just doesn't want to leave the house. Every time we go to leave, he cries," she said.
Their mother said the gesture from MOVE means so much, and will make the holidays brighter for two young brothers who endured, the unimaginable.
"It's very appreciative that someone would give from their heart," she said.
