4-year-old boy continues to recover after being shot in the head
ROSTRAVER, Pa. (KDKA) - A little boy is on the road to recovery after he was shot two months ago in Westmoreland County.
Four-year-old Ronnie Lynn has been at Children's Hospital since July 6 after Rostraver police said he was shot in the head inside a home in Rostraver Township.
The child's family said he's off his feeding tube and has been in physical therapy, working to get feeling back in his arms and legs.
"His right arm and right leg was paralyzed, and now he's kicking that foot," Wally Lynn said, Ronnie's grandfather.
They said he said his first words a few days ago.
"I believe last week he started saying 'daddy,' and then his mom heard 'mommy' like a day or two later," Wally Lynn said.
In July, police ruled the shooting as accidental.
Emergency crews rushed to the home on Gaudio Drive around 11 a.m. Wally said they likely saved Ronnie's life.
"The golden hour. My son brought him out and was sitting on a picnic table there. They (first responders) came in at 11:42 a.m., and he was on the operating table at 12:42 p.m. So that golden hour. Yeah, it works," Wally Lynn said.
While Ronnie is making progress, he still can't walk. Wally said he has a long road to recovery.
"They'll put them in a wheelchair, and he has to wear a helmet. So my son, you know, being a good dad, he bought himself a helmet," Wally Lynn said. "Then they go around for what they call a field trip. He just waves at all the nurses."
Wally said the family is hopeful Ronnie will be home in time for the holidays.
"He wants out of that bed," he said. "He's a four-year-old, you know? What do you want to do? He wants to go and play, you know?"
So far, no charges have been filed in the incident, but Rostraver police said the investigation is ongoing.