DETROIT (WXYZ) — A 14-year-old Detroit boy is recovering at Children's Hospital after being shot a quarter of an inch from his heart during a teen takeover event in downtown Detroit Sunday night.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy has charged a 16-year-old with carrying a concealed weapon. Charges are pending against another juvenile suspect.
Tavuan Clark was out with friends downtown when, he says, one of his friends was jumped by a group of teens they didn't know.
"We ended up fighting back. We walked away and then they wanted to fight again. Somebody pulled a gun and started shooting," Tavuan said.
His mother, Tracey Clark, received a call shortly after.
"Ten minutes later, I get a call saying, 'Ma'am, I know you don't know me, but your son's been shot,'" Clark said.
Clark says her son was struck in the chest dangerously close to his heart.
"He was struck in his chest a quarter of an inch from his heart, so. If he had have turned another way or he would have been gone," Clark said.
Extended interview: Tracey Clark speaks to 7 News Detroit after her son was shot
Ortagus Jackson, from Detroit's Operation Ceasefire, made that call to Clark. He was monitoring teens downtown and rushed in after the shooting — keeping Tavuan conscious and applying pressure to his wound to slow the bleeding.
"I rolled him over. He wasn't talking, wasn't responding. He shook his head a little. Then he opened his eyes. I asked, 'Man, you alright? What's your name?'" Jackson said.
Jackson deflected praise for his actions.
"People say I'm the hero. I'm not, bro. It was a sister that was on the side of me and just start praying ... for him. I wish I could find that sister, man, because she prayed for that boy. She's the hero," Jackson said.
Related Story: Teen shot in downtown Detroit, DPD stepping up patrols for teen takeovers
The shooting reinforced fears about unsupervised teen gatherings downtown. Clark says she never expected her son to be shot while out with friends she has known for years — and only allowed him to go out because he is usually occupied with school and sports.
"My son goes to school, he goes to football practice, he goes to track and I pick him up. So this is, he don't get out very often," Clark said.
Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield announced a six-point plan to address summer violence and teen takeovers.
Related Story: Detroit mayor to work with 'teen takeover' organizers to create safe gathering spaces
"I want to be very clear — while we create safe spaces and invest in prevention, we also promote accountability and enforcement. We will not tolerate violence or what we saw this weekend. We will push for parental responsibility enforcement in our curfew," Sheffield said.
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