ST PAUL, Minn. — Days after Ladavionne Garrett celebrated his 11th birthday, his family is celebrating another milestone.
"Today is a good day because he is coming home," said Garrett's grandmother, Sharrie Jennings. "He's a fighter."
Ladavionne was shot in broad daylight while riding with his parents near the 3400 block of North Morgan Avenue in North Minneapolis back in April. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition, and he remained hospitalized, until today.
"This is nothing but God and him," said Jennings.
For Ladavionne's family, it's been a journey centered on his recovery.
"This is going to be a long road to recovery," said Jennings. "He has a lot of things he's going to have to learn to do all over again," she said. "This is not going to be an easy road for Junior."
Ladavionne was one of three children shot in a span of weeks in separate incidents in North Minneapolis in the spring. The two other children, 6-year-old Aniya Allen and 9-year-old Trinity Ottoson-Smith, sadly lost their lives.
"Everyone was affected by this because it could have been anyone's child," she said.
As Jennings waves from the backseat of the van, with her grandson by her side, she's asking for the community's continued support and for the people responsible to come forward.
"By this time next year, if not walking he going to be talking," she said. "We need to get some kind of closure, for what happened to Junior."
There's a reward totaling up to $180,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual or individuals responsible for the shootings of the three children.
Anyone with information related to these cases is asked to contact CrimeStoppers at crimestoppersmn.org or the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at 877-996-6222 or bca.tips@state.mn.us.