A 6-year-old Chicago boy is walking and talking again six months after he was shot in the head inside his Far South Side home.
Claeron Williams was sitting on a couch with father and playing on an iPad when shots rang out on the evening of Nov. 16. After three surgeries and having a shunt implanted in his head, the 6-year-old was released from LaRabida Children's Hospital.
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"I am just blessed, we are blessed," said Gwen Williams, Clareon's mother. "We are happy that Clareon is here, and we are able to share our story."
In late November, “I’m Telling, Don’t Shoot,” a local anti-violence advocacy group, offered a $10,000 reward for the arrest of the person responsible for the shooting. The male suspect was captured on surveillance camera near where the shooting occurred, the 200 block of West 115th Street.
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"I think the lesson out here that needs to be learned is these kids are our future," Gwen Williams said. "This is happening to so many of these children of Clareon’s age. What is going to be the future that we have to look up to? They are literally taking our kids day by day, one by one."
Clareon's mother also offered advice to other parents whose children live under the shadow of gun violence.
"...If you have a chance to be a parent to you child…be a parent to your child," she said. "These people are too busy trying to be their kids' friends instead of being the parent, and I think that’s where the problem is."
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Anyone with information on the shooting is encouraged to call Area Two detectives at 312-747-8273, or to submit a tip online at cpdtip.com.