Local News

Tewksbury teen shot on vacation in Canada heads home from hospital

"Eventually I'll walk."

Sandrick Jorcelin heads home to Tewksbury with a police escort. Tewksbury Police Department

By Heather Alterisio

A Tewksbury teenager, who was severely injured in a drive-by shooting in Canada in May, is finally heading home after three months of medical treatment and rehab.

Sandrick Jorcelin, 14, left Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlestown with a police escort home Wednesday.

“It’s been a lot,” he told WBZ-TV in an exclusive interview at the hospital Tuesday. “But I’m happy that I got to go through [it] with my family, and they were here for me the whole time. They just supported me and never left.”

Jorcelin was sitting in the backseat of a car in May, having just left a family member’s birthday party during a quick trip to Canada when he became the victim of gun violence, a loved one explained on a GoFundMe page, which was launched to help the family pay for the teen’s medical expenses.

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Jorcelin’s uncle, who died in the shooting, was reportedly driving the car when someone in another vehicle pulled up beside them and opened fire. Jorcelin, his mom, and the two other passengers were injured in the traumatic incident.

The teen, who sustained a bullet to the abdomen, was rushed to a hospital in Canada for emergency surgery.

Friends and family quickly stepped up to support Jorcelin, raising money to help him get airlifted back home for further care, as he began his long road to recovery.

“It’s all been getting better,” Jorcelin told WBZ this week. “Right now, I have mobility in my legs now. I still can’t walk — but like I’m able to move my legs and eventually I’ll walk.”

WHDH-TV shared the below video of Jorcelin coming out of the hospital:

He has plenty of family and friends to support him, including best friends, Kareem and Marcus, as shared on Twitter and reported by WBZ.

“No matter how he feels throughout the day, he’s still pushing for us and he’s just come a long way,” Kareem Nofal told the news outlet.

The Tewksbury Police Department also shared videos from the escort home:

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