LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) -- For the first time since leaving the hospital last week, Ki'Anthony Tyus, the 9-year-old boy who was shot while playing basketball, reached a major milestone in his recovery Thursday when he visited his doctor to track his progress.
The youngster, who likes to imitate NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry, is limited to playing basketball on a video game system until his leg is strong enough to support him.
"I've got the step-back, but I don't have the crossover yet," Tyus said confidently before heading to the appointment.
His grandmother, Tina Tyus, said the bullet shattered Ki'Anthony's femur and is still lodged in the boy's leg. The doctor's visit was also to see if the bullet could be safely removed.
"Right now, it doesn't worry me much because he's still, but when he starts moving around, that's when it really sinks in," she said.
Ki'Anthony said her remembered vividly the night he was shot after playing a basketball game at Ballard Park.
"When my cousin drove me to the hospital, I looked down and I [saw] blood coming out," he recalled.
"To see him sitting [in the hospital] yelling, 'Granny! Granny!' I was like, 'Oh my God,' and when they said he was shot in the leg, I was like, 'Thank you Jesus, he's going to get over this,'" his grandmother added.
The shirt Ki'Anthony wore to the doctor read "Play tough, stay tough" and his grandmother said he is a strong young man. She also said she hopes the person who shot him has the same strength as well as the courage to turn themselves in.
She said she holds no ill will and hoped this situation would have an impact on the shooter's heart.
"You're quick to pick up a gun, pick up the Bible, pick up that word of God and see what it says," she said, "When you hurt an innocent child, you took his whole summer."
"You don't know who you're shooting at and if you shoot at somebody, you might hurt somebody," Ki'Anthony said.
That somebody in this case is a 9-year-old boy. Not every violent crime ends with the victim being able to share their story. It's proof, Ki'Anthony's grandmother said, her grandson is more than a victim.
He's a survivor.
If you would like to help Ki'Anthony Tyus and his family with medical and other expenses during his recovery, you can donate to an account in Ki'Anthony Tyus' name at any Louisville or Southern Indiana branch of PNC Bank.
