The 6-year-old Michigan boy who was shot by his neighbor over a bicycle is heading to therapy after exhibiting signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, his father said.
Coby Daniel, who was shot in the arm on June 6 in Ypsilanti Township for the offense of leaving his bicycle in his neighbor’s yard, is having a hard time sleeping on his own following the violence, Arnold Daniel told TMZ.
In fact, Coby has had difficulty just sleeping, whether alone or otherwise, frequently waking up to ask questions like: “Why would [the alleged shooter] do that?”
Coby is scheduled to begin therapy this week, his father told TMZ.
Ryan Le-Nguyen, 29, was charged with assault with intent to murder and two gun charges. Prior to shooting Coby from inside his own home, Le-Nguyen also allegedly attacked the boy with a sledgehammer. The entire incident was recorded by a home surveillance video camera.
Yet, despite that serious criminal charge and video evidence, a judge set Le-Nguyen’s bail at just $10,000, 10% — or $1,000 — of which was needed to secure his freedom. Le-Nguyen was quickly bailed out the day after he was arrested, aggravating Arnold Daniel’s anxiety, he told TMZ.
However, following outcry from both members of law enforcement as well as the community, a different judge increased Le-Nguyen’s bond to $100,000. The terms of his bond were different, too, as the full $100,000 and not 10% of it is required for his release.
Coby’s dad started a GoFundMe “to make ends meet as well as deal with trauma of almost losing Coby.” Arnold Daniel wrote that his “whole family is affected” by the shooting. As of Monday morning, the online fundraising effort had generated nearly $2,500 of its $10,000 goal.
The unfortunate and violent encounter between Le-Nguyen and Coby took place about 4:30 p.m. Sunday. The Detroit Free-Press reported that Coby was playing outside with his two young friends, 9 and 14, when Le-Nguyen apparently took umbrage to the noise they were making and emerged from his home with a sledgehammer.
“He tried hitting me with a sledgehammer but that’s not going to work because I’m too fast,” Coby told FOX 2 News in an interview that was packaged with surveillance footage from the encounter.
Le-Nguyen is accused of then retreating into his home, getting a gun and firing it through a window and hitting Coby. The bullet entered and exited his left arm and left him with a non-life-threatening injury.
Coby described the moment he was shot: “He got a gun and BOOM shot me right here.”
The aftereffects of gun violence have serious consequences for everyone, especially for children, statistics show.
“With more than 25% of children witnessing an act of violence in their homes, schools, or community over the past year, and more than 5% witnessing a shooting, it becomes not just an issue of gun regulation, but also of addressing the impact on those who have been traumatized by such violence,” the Child Welfare League of America wrote in a report about the impact of gun violence.
That was true with Rickey Smiley and his teenage daughter after she was shot multiple times over the Fourth of July weekend last year. Like Coby’s dad, Smiley explained how the reality of his 19-year-old daughter’s shooting was causing him anxiety.
“That’s why therapy is important,” Smiley said at the time. “That’s why when you go through trauma like this man, you have to go and get therapy and get help. I’m going to see a therapist today because it not only affects me about my daughter, it conjured up feelings from when I got shot back in ’95 and I just can’t imagine what my daughter is feeling. My baby don’t bother anybody.”
Smiley’s daughter would later announce on social media that she had begun experiencing PTSD days after the shooting.
“The doctors say I have PTSD,” Aaryn Smiley wrote in one post. “Loud noises or popping sounds make me cry. I get panic attacks way easier. The mental aspect of all this is really scary. Hopefully my mental increases with my physical!!!!”
SEE ALSO:
Man Freed On Low Bail For Shooting 6-Year-Old Black Boy Is Back In Jail After Community Outcry
A Vaping Violation Leads To Violent Arrest Of 4 Black Teens At Ocean City Boardwalk
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