BURIEN, Wash. — The young boy who was shot during a suspected road rage incident Friday afternoon is recovering at Harborview Medical Center. Police are still looking for the person who shot the boy.
Nine-year-old Isaiah Johns' parents say he is still in the ICU, but did get his breathing tube out today. They said he is a positive, happy and strong boy. Right now, his friends and family want him to know how loved he is.
"It’s like when you take the heart out of the body, it’s the same thing. It’s hard to keep going,” said Dante Harley, who is the Head Coach at the Knightz Football Academy.
Harley has coached Isaiah for two years.
"He is the leader on our team as the quarterback, and everything he does, he gets us together, warms us up. He really is the heart and soul of this team,” Harley said.
Isaiah was in the car with his parents, sister, and cousin when he was shot in the face and chest Friday afternoon in Renton.
“I was at work when it happened, I started crying, I ran out the door,” said Harley.
Washington State Patrol is calling it a suspected road rage incident.
“This has changed not only Isaiah’s life, but everyone in his family,” said Isaiah's grandfather, Michael Snyder, who went on to call the shooting "senseless."
Initially arriving at Harborview with life-threatening injuries, Isaiah is getting better every day. Snyder said it is a miracle that Isaiah is alive and thanked the staff at the hospital.
“He’s a champion and he’ll make it through,” said Snyder.
Isaiah's sister, Mya Johns, wants him home, "I want him to feel better in the hospital.”
“He is strong, he can fight through anything and he can win every single football game," said Kingston Corpuz, Isaiah's friend and football teammate.
Isaiah’s parents said he is communicating through a whiteboard and is able to hold a football. His family is hoping for a quick recovery, so he can be back on the field with his team.