JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The aunt of a Mandarin teenager recovering from a gunshot wound to the head is asking questions about what led to the shooting.
Mary Ganaway says her nephew, 17-year-old Mikah Howell, has been recovering at Memorial Hospital after a friend shot him in the head.
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The incident happened the night of June 6 off of Inwood Terrance during a get-together at a friend’s house.
At the time, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it was investigating the shooting as an accident.
“We all have so many questions. We all want to know, and until Micah can tell us, that’s as far as we can go,” Ganaway said. “If he says it was an accident, then I’m comfortable moving on with that, but I need to hear that from him; I believe his family needs to hear that from him.”
Howell has been fighting to recover ever since.
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“They had to leave the bullet inside, and they have a plate holding it in place,” Ganaway said. “He has been without a skull.”
Howell’s mother, Jessica McPhee, says doctors had to remove Howell’s skull after the shooting due to intense swelling caused by the bullet. He had surgery on Tuesday to put back the left side of his skull, and now they’re waiting to put back the right side.
But Ganaway says despite all of the obstacles, Howell’s recovery is nothing short of a miracle.
“He’s speaking, he remembers people, he’s eating, he’s smiling,” Ganaway said. “I do believe in him; with what he’s done already, I believe he’s going to have a full recovery.”
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Action News Jax reached out to JSO for an update on the case but has not yet received a response. McPhee says the investigation is still open, but no arrests have been made.
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