LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Nearly every day last week, someone was shot in Louisville.

In the first six months of 2024, more than 170 shootings have affected families across Louisville. Almost 90 people have died.

"It can really happen to anybody," Cacy Roberts said. "There's nobody that's immune from having something like violence and gun violence happen to them. You can be any place, any time. We were in our bed minding our business."

In December 2020, Malakai Roberts, who was five years old, was watching a movie with his mother Cacy and brother inside his Lexington home when he was shot in the temple and lost his ability to see.

Shane Richardson was five years old when bullets went through his home. 

The children are now old enough to understand the impact the violence has had on their families. They all  have different experiences, but one thing in common.

"That's scary because you do think that you're safe in your own home but that's not always the case," Cacy said.

Malakai's skull was fractured and he lost his vision when he was shot. The bullet missed his brain by two centimeters.

"I was laying down with my brother and my mom and then somebody shot me, but Cam was okay and Mommy was kind of okay," Malakai said.

The bullet also went through Cacy's arm.

The American Association of Neurological Surgeons reports 90% of people who have been shot in the head die, many of them never even make it to the hospital. For victims who survive the initial trauma, about 50% die in the emergency room.

Nearly four years later, Malakai is still transitioning into a new normal. He's learning through touch and reading Braille. But he lives without things he used to enjoy.

"I couldn't play video games," Malakai said. "That was the part I didn't like because I like video games. They're my favorite."

"Obviously Malakai wears his experience," Cacy said. "We can see what's happened to him and everything, but there are just so many kids and adults who are affected that have long-term effects that you just don't know about."

For Richardson, the wounds he carries from gun violence aren't visible.

"I was just laying down on my bed watching TV with my brother and then that's when I heard bullets shot," Richardson said.

Richardson's home and surrounding neighbors were shot at by a person using an AK-47. Richardson and his three siblings, all of whom were under the age of 10, had to take cover in their own home.

"My mom, she pulled me down under the bed," Richardson said. "They were all crying. I was just trying to calm them down and when they left and when the people left I hid under my bed so they wouldn't shoot me."

Families are now creating their own community of healing and leaning on each other to get through the trauma.

"I think because now I learned even though I'm blind I can still be a doctor and it wouldn't be that hard," Malakai said. "I think if I wanted to I could be a doctor. It's not impossible."

Christopher 2X's Game Changers has devoted resources to supporting children impacted by gun violence with the Future Healers program, which is a partnership between the Game Changers, UofL Hospital's Trauma Institute and students at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. The goal of the program is to help Louisville children who have been impacted by violence in their neighborhoods to build a better future. 

The program allows kids ages 4-to-13 affected by gun violence to get away from it all in an educational setting. 

To learn more about Christopher 2X Game Changers, click here.

Related Stories:

Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.