Toddler left paralyzed, on life-support after shooting
By Michaila Franklin
Click here for updates on this story
JACKSON, Mississippi (WAPT) — A toddler is fighting for his life after he and a 15-year-old relative were shot Sunday night.
The family of 2-year-old Kingston McClain is clinging to prayers and hope. The toddler is on life-support and his family said he has a long, hard road ahead.
“Being a baby who just learned how to walk a year ago and to find out he’ll never walk again,” a family member said.
Members of Kingston’s family, including his mother, asked 16 WAPT News not to show their faces out of fear for their safety.
The 2-year-old and his 15-year-old uncle were shot Sunday evening while riding in the back seat of a relative’s car on University Boulevard. The teenager was hit twice, and Kingston was shot once. The family said they were leaving the balloon release for another 15-year-old who was shot and killed on McCluer Road last week.
“My 2-year-old got hit and then I had to put my hand, press my hand down on his stomach just for the blood not to leak out and stuff like that,” Kingston’s mother said.
The boy’s mother said she took her sweatshirt off and used it to stop the bleeding as the family rushed the toddler to the nearest hospital. Kingston has severe damage to his kidneys, colon, spine and spleen, and the family said if he makes it, he has a long recovery ahead.
“He is going to be paralyzed, and from what the doctor said, he’ll probably be paralyzed the rest of his life,” she said.
The family said Kingston has already had two surgeries and is scheduled to have a third Wednesday. The 15-year-old was released from the hospital Monday night and is recovering.
The family said they have no idea why someone shot at them, but they want whoever did it to turn themselves in.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.