photo by: Contributed Photos

Tayshawn Mack Harris, 6, is pictured at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., on Aug. 13 and 14, 2020.

A 6-year-old Lawrence boy who was shot in the head last week has been doing miraculously well, his mother said Friday, though he still has a long way to go.

Tayshawn Mack Harris was flown to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., the night of Aug. 5, after being shot in the right side of his head, the Journal-World has reported.

Tayshawn had gone to stay the night at a friend’s house, his mother, Tyeisha Bell, said. Lawrence police have released no information about the circumstances of the shooting except that officers did not suspect foul play.

Tayshawn is not in critical condition anymore, and he was moved out of the intensive care unit a couple of days ago, Bell said Friday. She said the doctors have talked about moving Tayshawn to the rehabilitation center at the hospital next week, and hopefully after that, he can come home.

“He’s doing great; he’s doing wonderful,” Bell said. “The doctors say it’s a miracle. They’ve never seen nothing like it.”

Tayshawn has gotten agitated because he wants to go home, and he cried when he looked at some pictures from a family trip, his mother said. But she keeps pinky-promising him that they’ll be home together soon, she said.

He’s “working on” walking, his mother said. He’s currently wearing a gait belt, and Bell will have to be trained to help him get out of bed safely, she said. It’s also not yet clear how well Tayshawn will be able to use the left side of his body.

“It’s a life-changing event going on right now,” she said. “It’s going to be a task.”

Tayshawn will also have to have another surgery to have a plate put in his head in three to six months, Bell said. Until then, he’ll have to wear a helmet; he’s a fall risk because of missing bone in his head, Bell said.

Patrick Compton, a spokesperson for the Lawrence Police Department, said Friday that the department’s investigation continues. He said he didn’t expect to have any updates in the case until the investigation is completed.

Bell told the Journal-World last week that a few days after the incident occurred, she still didn’t know how it happened and she wanted answers. But on Friday, Bell said police are investigating, “and I have my faith that justice and everything else that needs to be served will be.”

Detectives met with Tayshawn on Wednesday to get his side of the story, and he actually remembered what happened to him, Bell said.

A GoFundMe page that Tayshawn’s aunt, Saterra Preciado, created last week to help Bell support her family while Tayshawn is in the hospital hit its goal of $10,000 on Friday afternoon.

“Thank you very much, because I wouldn’t know what to do,” Bell said she wanted to say to the community. “And I still at the end of the day don’t know what to do but to be strong, so I thank you.”

“… My man’s going to come home; my son’s going to come home,” she said.

Related coverage

• Aug. 8, 2020: Lawrence boy was shot in the head at friend’s home, mother says; he’s still in critical condition

• 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