ATLANTA — Isaiah Thomas was leaving the Jonesboro and Mt. Zion High School football game Friday night, next to his friends and 13-year-old brother. Next thing he knows, he's on the floor.
The 18-year-old had been shot.
"When he fell to the ground and was on the ground bleeding, my (other) son was there to help him, to hold and embrace him," his mother Tyeisha Bussie said.
Isaiah's sister Tatiana Brimidge said it was clear her little brother didn't understand what happened.
"When he describes the story, it’s unreal for him," she said. "He said when he first fell to the ground he was conscious, so he didn't really understand what was happening at first."
The Dutchtown High School senior had been shot three times: in the shoulder, in the lung, and his spine.
"It just missed his heart," Tyeisha added. "That's what keeps us going because he said, 'Mom, it could have been my heart. It could have been my heart and it wasn't.'"
Moments earlier, a man, whom Isaiah and his brother have described as 'young and with braces' tried robbing him.
"They didn't rob him or anything, other than his life," Tyeisha said. "He didn't have anything. He had $120 on him and maybe some clothes and shoes that they wanted. But it's material things and it doesn't matter."
The gunman has not been identified or arrested as of Tuesday afternoon.
“He really needs to come forward," Tyeisha said. "I'm sure he's a younger kid and the gun violence has gotten really ridiculous. People need to bring awareness to that. It just has to stop."
Isaiah loves playing basketball and has been playing since he was 12 years old. Doctors now say the teen will likely be paralyzed. His family says his strength and positivity could defy all odds.
“We’re not claiming to even know what man scientifically says, but science can be wrong!” Tyeisha said.
In the midst of these difficult moments, Tatiana says her brother remains strong.
“He's happy to be alive because he knows it could have went south so very quickly. A lot of people don't get this opportunity. So he knows that he's really blessed," Tatiana said.
Isaiah's family believes that if high school stadiums had better lighting in the surrounding areas - which would help with the visibility of surveillance cameras - as well as more security, this would have not happened.
"If they see that you have security officers and cops patrolling the area, then they're likely not to do those things," Tyeisha said.
Tatiana has a message for younger people involved in gun violence.
"Go play sports, go to prom, have those fun memories," she said. "Don't do this. You guys don't want to be in this kind of predicament. It's not fair to the families and it's not fair to you either, because it's just something you shouldn't have to deal with."
The family has set up a fundraiser to help with medical bills. After the hospital, Isaiah plans to attend rehabilitation at Shepard's Center.
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