The Boston Globe reported a story not too long ago about a little girl named Kai Leigh Harriott. At the age of three, she was left without movement from the waist down after being shot by 29-year-old Anthony Warren. The bullet had shattered her spine and left her in a wheelchair. The story was all over the Boston news stations and in all the local papers. People in the area were interested, even inspired by the child's story.
There are shootings in Boston all the time, so why did this little girl’s story become so popular? Maybe it was because when the little girl faced her shooter in a courtroom only a few years after the shooting, she did something remarkable, and for some people it seemed incredulous. She forgave the man who caused her such great injury and changed her world forever. Warren was later sentenced to 13-15 years in prison, with five years probation.
In April 2006, the first-grader spoke to the man who had paralyzed her at the age of three. At the sentencing hearing she said: “What you done to me was wrong. But I still forgive you.”
The Globe reported:
“In emotionally wrenching victim-impact statements that left many spectators in tears, Kai and four members of her family told a Suffolk Superior Court judge that the shooting had changed their lives forever, but had also shown them the value of forgiveness. 'We're not victims here; we're victors,' said Kai's mother, Tonya David, addressing the court."
"Moments later, [Anthony] Warren, 29, a convicted felon who pleaded guilty yesterday to avoid a trial, approached Kai and her family and, in barely audible tones, apologized.
"[The girl's mother] recalled his words later. 'I'm sorry for what I've done to you and your family,' she said Warren told her. 'I was known in the street for all the wrong reasons, and now I want to be known for the right reasons.'"
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