A community in Alabama is coming together to help cover the medical expenses of a young boy who was shot in the head during a bonfire.
On Thursday, Dec. 19, a GoFundMe campaign was launched to assist the family of Barrett Bullock, a child who the fundraiser noted suffered a “gunshot wound to his head” during a Dec. 6 mass shooting in Mobile that left one man dead and six children injured.
As previously reported by NBC affiliate WPMI and AL.comthe Mobile Police Department responded to a shooting at a bonfire in South Mobile around 10:47 p.m. on Dec. 6. One man, 31-year-old Dante Desantis, was killed, while six minors were injured. The youngest victim was 13 years old, AL.com reported at the time, citing Police Chief William Jackson.
Among the victims was Bullock, per the GoFundMe, which noted he was “simply enjoying a bonfire near his home with friends and family.” The youngest son of Beth and Bobby Bullock, Barrett then “found himself in the crossfire of gunshots,” per the fundraiser organized by Crystal Lavelle.
“This devastating incident has led to a series of medical interventions, including a craniectomy, and extended hospital stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and now, a long road of recovery and treatment for Barrett,” the campaign read. “The journey toward his recovery has just begun, and it is a path that will require immense courage, resilience, and support, both financially and emotionally.”
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Described as “a beacon of light in the lives of those who know and love him,” Barrett has “already overcome significant obstacles” but still faces “a long and challenging road to a full recovery,” according to the campaign, which has since raised more than $4,500 of its $10,000 goal.
Barrett, whose age was not shared in the fundraiser, now must undergo physical, occupational, and speech therapy, an additional surgery in two months and injuries that are “not immediately visible” — as the shooting took an “emotional and psychological toll” on him and his family.
“In addition to the physical and emotional challenges the Bullocks are now facing, they also face substantial financial burden due to the costs associated with Barrett’s medical care,” the GoFundMe description read. “Medical expenses accumulate quickly, and the costs associated with his treatments, therapies, and surgeries will be staggering. As a community, we have the power to make a difference in this family’s life by coming together and supporting them during this critical time.”
A GoFundMe launched for the family of Donte “Red” Desantis — the local tattoo artist and father who was killed in the shooting — has since raised more than $1,300 of a $12,000 goal. “Dante was a person who gave selflessly, so anything that you can donate will be greatly appreciated,” the fundraiser read.
As AL.com noted, the shooting took place in the area of Bellingrath and Laurendine Road, when two people were hospitalized via ambulance and four others were brought to a local hospital via personal vehicles. WKRG reported at the time that witnesses said 100 people were at the gathering and shooters fired from a vehicle while driving away.
The Mobile Police Department told PEOPLE that no arrest has been made and that the case has been turned over to the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office.
“These are children,” Chief Jackson said earlier this month. “There’s no excuse for children, or anyone for that matter, to fill up our emergency rooms with injuries that they received from senseless acts of violence.”
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