DeAndra Dycus, mom of quadriplegic son shot by stray bullet, shares story at DNC
The Indiana mother and advocate praised Biden as a leader who would take on the NRA and end gun violence
Six years ago, DeAndre Knox was shot by a stray bullet. The 13-year-old boy was attending a birthday party in Indianapolis, Indiana when a fight broke out. While he was not involved in the altercation, when 22 bullets rang out, he was the only person injured.
The shooting left Knox with quadriplegic paralysis and unable to speak. His mother, DeAndra Dycus, spoke up for gun reform at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night.
Read More: Kamala Harris says ‘there is no vaccine for racism’ in rousing DNC speech
Dycus said that her son was a high-achieving student and a two-sport athlete who had dreams of attending Indiana University. “But the child that I birthed is not able to live his dreams,” she lamented during her nearly 3-minute address.
“About four or five days after the shooting when he was on life support … I told Dre if you would just fight through this, mommy will be your voice. I will be your arms and I will be your legs if you just fight,” Dycus told The Indy Star.
“So when this opportunity presented itself, I just thought God is holding me to my promise. He’s opening these doors and opportunities for me to continue to be Dre’s voice.”
“My son is now 19 years old and lives in a 24-hour-care facility,” she said to PEOPLE. “The dreams I had for him were endless. With his GPA and athletic ability, I thought, ‘This kid is going to go far.’ And for someone to snatch that away leaves a permanent wound in your heart.”
In her speech, Dycus said, “I want a president who cares about our pain and grief … Joe Biden has taken on the NRA twice and won. And he will do it again as president.”
Read More: Obama, in scathing Trump rebuke, warns democracy on the line
As an advocate against gun violence, Dycus has spoken out about the failure of the Trump administration to act following countless mass shootings.
“We’ve been trying to get universal background checks. We’ve been trying to get a ban on assault weapons and no one is listening,” she told PEOPLE. “We won’t stop and we won’t shut up until they do or we get someone in office who does.”
“This is for everybody,” Dycus said. “This is for all my moms here in Indy who are in our support group, and every mom who I’ve had to sit by and wipe tears and pray with and cry with.”
“This is for them. This is beyond just DeAndra and DeAndre.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!
