A young boy who was hit by stray bullets a month ago just celebrated his eighth birthday while in the hospital, still recovering from his injuries.
Kumar Polk, 8, was playing outside last month when someone drove by and shot into a crowd of people who had gathered to mourn the passing of a friend who died in his sleep. Polk was hit in the abdomen and in his hand.
The bullet that hit his abdomen caused spinal cord injuries that have confined him to a wheelchair, and while doctors were able to perform plastic surgery on his left hand, he may never regain full use of it.
Watch a full report on young Kumar Polk’s recovery below:
“It’s hard because he had such a promising future, not just with sports, but with anything in life,” his uncle U-Gene Jackson said.
He also said that while Polk knows he was shot, the boy has had a hard time understanding why this happened to him.
“I grew up here and it’s sad, but we kind of adapt to it, but it’s not right,” Jackson said of gun violence. “It needs to stop. I don’t know how or when it’s going to stop, but it needs to stop.”
On Friday, Polk celebrated his eighth birthday with friends and family at the hospital. His friends and family have set up a GoFundMe page to assist with medical expenses.