A Philadelphia student was denied access to his senior prom and high school graduation after police said he was the target of a shooting in his neighborhood.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Dashawn Walker, then 17, suffered 10 gunshot wounds after he left Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School of Philadelphia on Feb. 21. One bullet tore through his intestines and the other nine broke the bones in his legs. A stray bullet struck a 13-year-old girl in the arm.
After a days-long coma and a month recovering post-ICU at Temple University Hospital, the 12th grader spent a month at the Shriners Hospital for Children rehab facility. He had to relearn how to walk there because metal rods were now holding his lower limbs together. He had over a dozen surgical procedures and used a colostomy bag for three months.
Walker initially worried about how he would get through his senior year of high school. However, his professors and counselors at MCSCS worked with him throughout his rehabilitation to enable him to finish his coursework remotely and graduate in May.
But the school’s founder and top administrator, Veronica Joyner, and her board members immediately decided that Walker could not return to in-person schooling or occasions, such as his prom and graduation ceremonies. She claimed she was concerned about his shooters’ potential return and believed Walker’s presence posed a threat.
“If you’re a target, do I bring that target around other people and get them caught up in a shooting?” Joyner questioned, The Inquirer reported. “We would be placing others at risk by having him around.”
Walker said he felt the school blamed him for what happened rather than support him.
“I was the victim,” he said, “and I felt like I was the problem.”
Walker claimed that after being shot, several friends informed him that Joyner questioned how he could afford a luxury backpack, shoes and expensive prom attire. Walker said he believes she was implying that he was dealing drugs or engaging in some other criminal activity to pay for those things.
Mildred Brockington, Walker’s mother, said she works hard to assist her son in purchases so he can blend in with the fashions at school. Parents frequently spend thousands of dollars on prom because it is significant to their teens.
Joyner denied commenting on Walker’s attire, but she reportedly raised concerns about the price of his prom suit.
Walker said that Micah Roane, 20, his alleged shooter, resides in his neighborhood but has never spoken to him. He added that he has no idea why Roane went after him. Court records show that police discovered a 9mm handgun while searching his home, The Inquirer reported. He allegedly affiliates with other individuals who have participated in shootings nearby.
According to Capt. James Kearney of the Philadelphia Police Department’s nonfatal shooting unit, Walker has never encountered trouble with law enforcement. Prosecutors also said they had no indication Walker was involved in any acts of violence or had ongoing disputes in the neighborhood.
“It’s an unacceptable, outrageous act of violence, and it’s a tragedy,” the District Attorney’s Office spokesperson Jane Roh said. “And there’s no reason any institution should be treating him like he is also a defendant.”
Roane’s charges include attempted murder and illegal gun possession. He remains in the city jail. According to court documents, a grand jury has been tasked with hearing the case because prosecutors want to safeguard potential witnesses.
Michael Diamondstein, Roane’s attorney, said his client denies the allegations.
Walker claimed he tried to explain his innocence to Joyner during a phone call, but she was adamant in her position. Instead, the school’s founder said Walker should be grateful the school helped ensure he received the resources needed to graduate.
On June 8, Walker watched inconsolably as his fellow seniors from MCSCS received their diplomas as they crossed the stage. Although his name was listed in the graduation pamphlet, administrators didn’t read it aloud.
He said his absence from graduation seemed like a replay of prom night, when his pals FaceTimed him from the ballroom while he was in bed.
Walker was accepted at Pennsylvania’s Shippensburg University, where he plans to pursue business or healthcare in the fall. He also intends to launch Redemption, an emotional support group for victims of gun violence.
Walker, who continues to experience nightmares, anxiety and depression, maintains that the incident with his school has made his recovery more agonizing overall. He knows he cannot go back in time and influence Joyner’s decision, but he still wants her to understand the hurt her actions caused him.
Joyner asserted that she runs a successful institution. Mathematics, Civics and Sciences Charter School of Philadelphia’s mock trial squad was named international champs recently, it consistently boasts a 100 percent graduation rate, and all of its grads were accepted into colleges this year.
“My heart goes out to Dashawn, but I didn’t create the situation,” Joyner said, The Inquirer reported. “My actions didn’t involve me in something that got me shot.”
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