BROOKLYN — The 13-year-old choirboy shot in the head by a stray bullet while waiting for the bus went back to school Monday.
“I just want to say thank you for all the support and prayers,” said Gama Droiville, whose right eye remains covered by gauze following the shooting, as he stood in front of I.S. 283 in East Flatbush. “Still keep me in prayer.”
Gama had been hospitalized for two weeks at Kings County Hospital, where doctors performed hours of surgery in hopes of saving his eye. While he was very lucky to escape serious brain damage, doctors remain unsure if he will ever regain full use of his right eye, his family said.
The bullet, intended for another victim, grazed Gama’s skull while the boy waited for the B41 bus with his aunt and cousin on Flatbush Avenue on April 14. His aunt pushed him into a nearby pizza shop, where paramedics picked him up, according to his family.
Kareem Potomont, 21, the alleged shooter, was arrested and charged with two counts of attempted murder four days later, according to the NYPD.
Although the boy survived the shooting, his father is still concerned for his health.
“We are still working hard,” Jimmy Marcel said. “Our concern right now is Gama, to make sure Gama is OK.”
Marcel, with the help of City Councilman Jumaane Williams, has set up an online fundraiser to pay for Gama's medical bills and education. More than a dozen visitors had donated more than $1,475 by Monday afternoon — with donations ranging from $20 to $400 apiece. The fundraiser seeks to raise $100,000, according to the website.
