Parents Of Md. Football Player Paralyzed From Shooting: 'I Just Want Him To Be Able To Walk Again'
BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- A college football player from Maryland was left paralyzed after being shot at a New Year's Eve party in Anne Arundel County.
Larry Aaron III is still at Shock Trauma and his parents say he may never play football or walk again.
Larry II and Melissa Aaron have been afraid for their son since getting the call that he had been shot in the back.
"It's heart-wrenching. We're just scared. We're just scared," Larry II said.
Larry III, 19, was in Severn, when his parents say he was trying to shield his girlfriend after shots were fired inside a crowded home.
"I was in shock. I was upset," Melissa said. "I didn't know what to think, what to believe. I was just devastated."
The family says doctors could not remove the bullet lodged in the middle of the defensive tackle's spine.
The freshman got a football scholarship to Marshall University in West Virginia.
"I just want him to be able to walk again. I'm not worried about football. I want him to be happy and enjoy his life," Melissa said.
The Howard County community where Aaron played at Oakland Mills High School, rallied around him. His Marshall coach tweeted thoughts and prayers.
A GoFundMe page for Aaron III has raised more than $25,000 in donations for medical expenses.
Anne Arundel County police are still trying to determine what led to the gunfire and who pulled the trigger. Investigators believe more than 100 people were at the party.
"Advertised it on Snapchat on social media. Quickly got out of hand," said Anne Arundel County Police spokesperson Lt. Ryan Frashure.
"I know it's hard on him and as a father and mother, seeing their child laying there like that, it's just tearing us up," Larry II said. "I'm scared to death of what the future holds."
Last week, police announced a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
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