Community rallies behind 11-year-old shot in Mossy Head

DEFUNIAK SPRINGS, Fla. ( WMBB ) — The community of Defuniak Springs is stepping up to help an 11-year-old boy who was shot while sleeping in his Mossy Head home this month.

The Walton County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) arrested a 15-year-old in connection to the shooting- but said the investigation is not over.

“He’s bright-eyed. He’s only got a smile on his face, very athletic,” Don Ballard said while describing 11-year-old Tristan Jones.

Ballard sponsored Tristan to train for free at Dude’s Boxing Club in DeFuniak Springs on May 1, saying he had a natural talent.

“He comes in, he got some good skills. I’m like, hey, this kid got something. And then I didn’t see him for a couple of days,” Ballard said.

That’s when Ballard heard that Tristan had been shot. WCSO arrested 15-year-old Luiz Gonzalez Wednesday, claiming he shot dozens of rounds into a Mossy Head home on May 2.

“This was a targeted attack on this residence. Now, unfortunately for us, but also more unfortunately for the victim is, he was not the intended target,” said Capt. Dustin Cosson, WCSO Criminal Investigations Division.

WCSO believes Gonzalez did not act alone.

“We have discovered additional evidence, even today, doing additional interviews and that is leading us to believe that there may be additional people, whether it be involved directly or maybe after the fact,” Cosson said.

One of the two dozen flying bullets struck Tristan through his arm, the bullet lodging into his back.

Ballard went to visit Tristan in Pensacola, he said Tristan is currently paralyzed from the hips down. But he still has big dreams for his future.

“I want to be a professional boxer,” Ballard described what Tristan said. “Hey, well, let’s get out of the situation and let’s get to training. We got a lot of work to do,” Ballard replied.

Dude’s Boxing Gym is leading the charge to raise money for the Jones family as they work through this trying time.

“Money’s one thing. Money, of course, makes things happen. But the main thing that I’m asking for is prayer. Prayer for that family and prayer for a full recovery for a young Tristan, because he’s going to need it,” Ballard said.

You can contact Coach Don ‘Dude’ Ballard at 318-547-0061. He will have multiple ways to donate in person or online.

You can also visit the boxing gym at 1122 FL-83, Defuniak Springs, Fla., and drop off cash in their bucket.

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