Sha’michal Russell was 13 years old, playing on a basketball court at a Shreveport apartment complex last Monday, when police say a shooter fired multiple rounds from a distance. Three children were hit. Sha’michal died at the hospital. His 3-year-old sister was not injured, because he used his own body to shield her from the bullets.
His aunt, Shreveport Police chaplain Jessica Haley, called him a hero and a loving heart. The Uvalde Foundation has announced it will posthumously award Sha’michal its Youth Heroism Award, making him the first teenager to receive it that way. The foundation also launched an emergency fundraiser to cover funeral costs and to support the other victims, a 2-year-old and a 17-year-old.
Police have arrested and charged two 19-year-old cousins, Javion and Alonzo Abbott, in connection with the shooting, and the investigation remains open with additional arrests possible. For families here on the Suncoast, the story is a hard reminder that the places we assume are safe for kids, like neighborhood courts and playgrounds, deserve real attention. If you’d like to help, the Uvalde Foundation’s fundraiser is accepting donations.
What do you think it will take to make neighborhood play areas safe for kids again?
