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One-year-old Legend Smalls, who was accidentally shot and killed by a Texas police officer, reportedly had part of his skull removed in order to relieve the swelling in his brain.
The child was shot dead on March 3 by Houston police after opening fire on an armed robbery suspect during a chase. ABC News reports that the suspect jumped into Daisha Smalls’ car. Legend, Small’s son, was in the backseat. A police officer shot the vehicle which killed the suspect and injured Legend.
“They had to remove part of his skull to deal with the swelling in his brain,” lawyer Ben Crump said Tuesday March 16. “They also had to remove the bullet from his brain. He had several seizures – more than 10 seizures. He is still fighting for his life.
He added: “He still finds it difficult to breathe on his own. He was on a ventilator for 10 days. But the little legend is strong, the little legend is fighting.
Daisha Smalls spoke about her son’s condition while he remains in the pediatric intensive care unit. “My son fights for his life every day… My baby didn’t deserve it,” she said.
During a briefing Tuesday, the Houston Police Department said Legend’s mother was parked at a Chevron gas station pump and was outside her vehicle when the suspect jumped into her car.
Smalls, 19, has a different memory of the incident. She says she was in the driver’s seat when the suspect jumped into the car and sat on her. Smalls says police opened fire while she was still in the vehicle.
“They knew she was in the car, but they fired anyway, knowing that a black woman was in the car,” Crump said. “His life matters.”
Crump and Smalls say they will speak with the HPD to get body camera images of the incident.
The HPD issued a statement on Tuesday saying they “hope and pray for the full and speedy recovery of” Legend.
“Executive Assistant Chief Troy Finner and I personally went to the hospital to check on the baby’s condition and meet with his mother,” Chief Art Acevedo said, adding that the officer who shot Legend was put on administrative leave while they investigated.
The case is currently under investigation by the Special Investigations Unit of the HPD and the Internal Affairs Division. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office is conducting a separate investigation.
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