SARASOTA, Fla. — A thirteen-year-old Sarasota boy who survived life-threatening injuries to the head from a stray bullet is taking action against gun violence.
Despite the sweltering heat, around 100 people joined Aaron Hunter III for an anti-gun violence walk that kicked off at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park in Newtown, Saturday.
The organizers and participants hit the streets with the hope that the walk would raise awareness and help put an end to gun violence in the community.
Aaron, who is still recovering, rode in a golf cart to lead the walk. On June 22, paramedics were wheeling him into a hospital on a gurney after he was struck by a stray bullet. Hunter said he had gone to play basketball with a group of friends and was hanging out when the gunshots rang out.
"All I remember is I was picking mangoes, and I went to my friend's house, and that's all I remember," said Hunter.
According to him, the next few weeks would prove to be a fight for survival. Doctors told his mother it was a miracle he survived.
"I really couldn't walk on my own. I had to have help, but now I'm walking and taking steps," he said.
Aaron is taking a lot more than steps to get guns out of the hands of teens. His community and his family remain by his side to support him and amplify to cause.
His mother, Erica Dorsey, said the message of anti-gun violence is very important.
"Just pay attention to your children, pay attention to their surroundings, pay attention to who they're hanging around just find out different things and just know your kids," said Dorsey.
"If you've got a gun at home, lock it up, and if you can't, then don't bring it to your house," said Johnny Hunter Jr, Aaron's Uncle.
City of Sarasota leaders, including the mayor and the police chief, also joined in on the walk.
"This is a miracle that this young man is here with us today," said Sarasota Mayor Kyle Battie.
Mayor Battie said the issue of gun violence is a top priority that's also a moving target
"We have to stay vigilant and do what we can to stay on top of it," said Battie.
As far as his ordeal and the outcome of this walk, Aaron has one big hope: "That people stop having guns and thinking that it is OK to shoot people," he said.
Community activists and are holding a discussion panel with law enforcement leaders and representatives Monday, August 7. That event takes place at the Robert Taylor Community Center at 5:30 pm.