photo by: Tyeisha Bell / Contributed Photos

Tayshawn Mack Harris, age 6, is pictured in these contributed photos from his mother, Tyeisha Bell.

Days after a Lawrence boy was shot in the head, he’s still in critical condition, and his mother wants to know how it happened.

Tayshawn Mack Harris, 6, was visiting a friend’s home Wednesday night when he was shot in the head, his mother, Tyeisha Bell, said.

Tayshawn was flown to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., Wednesday night, and he remained there in the intensive care unit as of Saturday, his mother said.

Bell said her son was shot in the right side of his head. She said she doesn’t know how it happened — and “not knowing is making it real, real hard.”

Bell said it’s too early for doctors to know how well Tayshawn will recover. He was still in critical condition as of Saturday evening.

But Bell said Tayshawn was able to move his hands a little bit, and he could answer questions with a nod of his head or a thumbs up. He can wiggle his toes, “and he’ll sit up a little bit, but you know, I’ve got to tell him to lay back down because I don’t want him to hurt himself.” Bell said he starts to open his eyes, but then they close again.

“It’s a true tragedy, but my son’s fighting, fighting a good fight, and he’s doing very well — in the situation he’s in, he’s doing really well,” Bell said. “But we still have a long process ahead of us.”

Bell said she doesn’t have guns in her home — she’s terrified of them, and she doesn’t want to be around them. But she said Tayshawn is smart enough to know not to touch anything he’s not supposed to touch, and “he did not do this to himself.”

She said Saturday that she still hadn’t gotten a police report, and she hasn’t heard from any detectives. But she wants answers.

“I need to get justice for my son,” Bell said. “I need to get to the bottom of this.”

Tayshawn’s aunt, Saterra Preciado, said that everybody’s emotions are on high right now. Preciado said the family Tayshawn was visiting are longtime family friends who have watched the boy grow up.

“She (Bell) is really hurt, because no one expects anything like that to happen to their child,” Preciado said. “She’s just kind of taking it one day at a time.”

Preciado set up a GoFundMe page, “Tayshawn is a fighter,” to help support Tayshawn’s family while he’s in the hospital and his mother is by his side. That’s online at gofundme.com/f/tayshawn-is-a-fighter.

Lawrence police said just after midnight Thursday that no foul play was suspected in the incident, which occurred in the 700 block of West 25th Street. Police have not released any further details about what they believe occurred, and the department said no additional information was available as of Friday afternoon.

Related coverage

• Aug. 6, 2020: Child shot in Lawrence is in critical but stable condition, police say

• Aug. 6, 2020: Lawrence police: Child shot, seriously injured; no foul play suspected