LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) --Â Nearly one in five people shot in Louisville in 2025 so far have been children. That's why one little girl is using her voice to make sure other kids don't feel her pain.
"If someone does something bad and they don't get punished, they're going to think it's a good sign to do it again," Onyx Sands said.
What started as an ordinary drive down Interstate 65 turned into a road rage nightmare for Onyx Sands' family. She was in the backseat of her father's car with her two siblings when she was shot July 10, 2023. It was just two days after her sixth birthday.
One hit Onyx's back and severed the 6-year-old's spine. Jonathan Rivera pleaded guilty to complicity to wanton endangerment. He agreed to testify against Shelby Bisconer and Edward Sark, who are also charged in the case.
"They're very mean," Onyx said.
She's paralyzed from the waist down and her mother said she sees complications from this shooting often.
"She's not able to play on the playground at school," Chyna Sands said. "She's not able to really leave and go places a lot of times without me. Not everyone is able to provide the care for her that she needs. She also has PTSD. Things that you wouldn't imagine would bother a kid, like the popping of a balloon, scares her."
While Onyx's path remains long and uncertain, her spirit is unwavering.
"Because my name is a rock and rocks are hard and strong," Onyx said.
Since Onyx was shot in 2023, more than 150 other kids have suffered the same fate in Louisville, according to the Louisville Metro Gun Violence Dashboard. At least 35 of them were killed.
When asked what she would say to the people who are pulling the trigger, Onyx said, "They need to learn how to be nice."
Louisville's shootings rate is down compared to this time last year, but kids make up a larger portion of the victims.
"We welcome any tick down in numbers," Christopher 2X said. "but that does not take away from the significant facts of what gunshot wounds survivors go through. They're adjusting to a new life with that kind of trauma, and we don't want that to get lost."
Here's the breakdown for the past 5 years (comparing Jan. 1 through Sept. 9):
- 2021: 95 victims
- 2022: 64 victims
- 2023: 44 victims
- 2024: 58 victims
- 2025: 46 victims
However, the Sands family believes even one victim is too many.
"The children are our future," Chyna Sands said. "We need to protect them at all cost. They are innocent little people. They deserve to have wholesome lives. They deserve to live. They deserve to grow."
That's why Onyx is officially becoming an advocate against youth gun violence.
"Kids are strong," Onyx said. "Kids deserve to be safe and happy."
With the help of Christopher 2X, she's founding "Onyx Strong: Advocating for Safe and Healthy Kids."
While it's too soon to get into the details of the project, Christopher 2X said it, "will entail her being a voice for kids who are hurt by intentional gunfire." He believes this campaign will launch by the end of January.
It's a burden no 8-year-old should ever have to carry but Onyx says she's up for the challenge because she's "Onyx strong."
Chyna Sands said her daughter is, "surrounded by a very strong village of people who love and support her."
"She's still able to do a lot of the things that make her happy," Chyna Sands said. "She still has a good life."
Related Stories:
Man pleads guilty in I-65 road rage shooting that left Louisville girl paralyzed
6-year Louisville girl unable to walk after being shot in road rage incident
6-year-old girl shot during 'violent road rage incident' in south Louisville, police say
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