DETROIT (WXYZ) — A 5-year-old Detroit boy is recovering after police say he was struck by a stray bullet fired by a teen allegedly playing with a gun on the city's west side — and a local violence intervention group says it wants to step in before another life is changed forever.
Watch Randy Wimbley's video report:
Five-year-old Kayzier was riding his bike in front of his home when he was hit by a stray bullet. Police say the teen was firing a gun at Fargo-Oakfield Park on Detroit's west side Tuesday. Kayzier was struck in the left arm.
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His father, who did not want his face shown or his name shared, says his son is traumatized.
"He's still in shock. He don't want to come outside, he don't want to ride his bike, he don't want to do nothing."
Kayzier's father says he doesn't believe the teen intended to hurt his son — and says he hopes the suspect receives the help, mentorship, and guidance he needs.
The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office has until Tuesday, July 14, to decide whether to file charges based on the evidence presented by investigators.
Regardless of the outcome, Negus Vu — the executive director of the community violence intervention group The People's Action — says his team wants to help change the young man's life through an intensive mentorship program, something they've done for nearly 100 other young people in Detroit.
"Why are you dealing with guns? Why are you involved in gun violence? What's going on at home? What's going on internally?" Vu said.
"So when we're dealing with young men who have the highest propensity to commit gun violence or even deal with guns, what we wanna do is find out the root cause," Vu said. "So when we're doing that relationship building, we wanna build a rapport with them. We're spending time, we take them on field trips. We're doing, we're giving them education. We're giving them life skills, financial literacy. We wanna make them functional in society."
FULL INTERVIEW: Executive Director of The People's Action, Negus Vu, talks about shooting response
Vu says The People's Action also plans to help Kayzier and his family.
"Also, we're gonna help the 5-year-old, right? Because the 5-year-old has also been victimized. You have the mother and father who've been tremendously impacted," Vu said.
Kurtiez Thompson, a former gang member who served time in state and federal prison, plans to work directly with the teen accused of pulling the trigger.
"Me, myself, being a credible messenger — and my coworkers are also credible messengers — we have the lived experiences to bring to the youth. We understand how to connect and relate in a unique way through our past experiences," Thompson said.
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