Chicago HS Student Paralyzed in Shooting Goes to Prom
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ABC News(CHICAGO) — A Chicago high school senior who was paralyzed in a shooting last year didn’t let his injuries stop him from enjoying one senior year highlight, his prom.
Miles Turner, a student at Leo High School in Chicago, was talking with his cousin when they became the targets of gunshots last October. Although police said Turner’s cousin was the main target, Turner was hit five times. His cousin was killed.
Chicago’s murder rate has risen over the last year even as it has decreased in other major American cities.
Turner survived his injuries after spending two months in the ICU and six weeks in a coma. The former 300-pound linebacker lost a third of his body weight while in recovery.
Although his spine was not hit in the shooting, it is unclear how much mobility he will have in the future. He was confined to a wheelchair after the shooting, he has very limited mobility in his legs. Turner was recently released from a rehab center.
Turner’s mother, Angela Turner, said doctors weren’t sure if he would be able to walk again due to his injuries, which have left his spine in “sleep mode.”
“The way he’s fighting, saying, ‘I’m going to do it,’ who knows?” she told ABC News station WLS-TV in Chicago.
On Friday, Turner prepped for his prom by cutting off his dreadlocks and dressing in a white tux with a blue vest. His family made him pose for a photo before he left for the dance.
Surrounded by family and friends eager to get a picture of him, he summed up how he felt about their support in three words: “Good. Honored. Surprised.”
At the dance, Turner was joined by a group of friends wearing variations on his tuxedo. They crowded around him for a group photo.
“We played football for four years together. I was shocked to hear the news what happened that day,” fellow student Jordan Smiley said. “I’m glad to see him now.”
Turner is set to graduate in June and plans on attending college. Although he cannot currently walk, Turner plans on accomplishing another goal: playing college football.
“I want to go to college and play football,” Turner told WLS-TV. “Football is my favorite sport. It’s all I know.”
While Turner has a long road ahead of him before he reaches a full recovery, he’s determined.
“Just don’t stop, don’t quit, keep fighting,” Turner said.”Good things will happen.”
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