13-year-old paralyzed after accidental shooting

A 13-year-old is in the hospital in serious condition after he was accidentally shot by a friend. The case happened over the weekend in Port Orange.

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It all started with a sleepover that turned into a nightmare for the Green family. “Police told us his friend and him were sitting across from each other, his friend was cocking a gun back and forth,” said Jennifer Green, mother of Nathaniel Green. “The gun went off and the bullet was lodged in his spine.”

According to the family, Nate was at his friend’s house like he had done multiple times before. But at some point, things took a turn. “We got a phone call at 2 o’clock in the morning saying our grandson had been shot,” said Elizabeth Green, the teen’s grandmother. “They were fortunately able to remove the bullet but there’s still fragments in his lungs so he needs more surgeries.”

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The case happened on Creekwater Boulevard in Port Orange on Saturday. Port Orange responded to the scene, calling the shooting an accident. “It is an open and active investigation. A juvenile was accidently shot by another juvenile in a home with weapons that did not belong to their parents,” said Sargent William Harrison, with Port Orange PD.

The family says the teen, who dreamed of becoming a football player, will not be able to walk again. “The bullet hit his spinal cord, so now he’s paralyzed from the waist down. Can’t feel anything,” said the grandmother.

The family created a GoFundMe page to help with the teen’s healthcare costs.

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So far, police made no arrests in this case and no one has been charged. Investigators are still looking into who the gun belonged to, where it came from, and why the teens even had it in the first place.

“Stop doing what you’re doing and go be with your kids. Go do something with them,” said Daniel Green, Nate’s grandfather, emotional. “Things change real quick. If you think you got problems, you don’t. Nothing compares to what this feels like.”

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