HOUSTON — You can call it a dinosaur takeover in Freedmen's Town's Wiley Park as 2-year-old dinosaur fanatic Braylon Benoît tracked his way back to reclaim his land after a near-tragic scare.
"Our army for him, our little dinosaur pack," said Jordan Celestine.
"Both of the bullets came out, went in and came out," said Braylon's mother, Arisha Howard.
Braylon was playing outside his great-grandmother's Fourth Ward home at the corner of Gillette Street and Ruthven Street the night of March 8, when Houston Police said three cars drove by firing roughly thirty gunshots.
Two of the bullets hit Braylon. One bullet hit him in the arm, the other, his mother said, through his stomach, piercing his liver.
"I honestly feel so blessed, like I'm so blessed that my child is able to walk and talk again, I'm so blessed that my family is very supportive, they’ve been supportive through this whole little journey," said Howard.
Those blessings were on full display Saturday as family and community welcomed Braylon home with a special certificate and honor presented by State Representative Jolanda Jones, who represents District 147.
"It’s in celebration of the homecoming that you lived and that you’re happy and that you have people that love you," said Rep. Jones.
A takeover of love, fueled by a community now banning together in a quest for justice.
"You all think that its some kind of code that we live by in the streets, we do not, and whoever did this, whomever did this you will pay and you’re going to jail," said Charonda Johnson, a community leader, known to many as the 'unofficial mayor of Freedmen's Town'.
"We’re a community of one, we support each other," said Celestine.
Standing Freedmen's Town and Braylon strong.
"Justice will be served," said Howard.
Braylon spent four day in the hospital with no surgeries. His mom said doctors told her his liver will heal on its own, and he's expected to make a full recovery.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to assist the family with medical expenses.
Meanwhile, no arrests have been made in this case. Houston police are asking anyone with information that could lead to an arrest to call them.