Columbia Man Paralyzed From New Year's Eve Shooting

COLUMBIA, MD — A Columbia man is paralyzed after he was shot in the back at a New Year's Eve party in Severn, his family says. Lawrence "Larry" Aaron III was struck by stray gunfire in the thoracic spine and is now paralyzed from the waist down, according to a GoFundMe site to support his treatment. The shooter has not been identified.

Aaron, 19, who graduated from Oakland Mills High School in Columbia, was home from college and attending the party with friends. He is a sophomore at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, where he is on a full football scholarship, according to the GoFundMe campaign.

The GoFundMe goal was to raise $250,000, and as of Wednesday morning, more than $9,700 had been donated. Funds will go toward medical and living expenses that will accommodate Aaron, who is partially paralyzed.

See the GoFundMe page for Larry Aaron here.

The shooting victim's parents said he was not the intended target and was protecting someone else while two other people were arguing.

"...my son stepped in front of his girlfriend to shield her, and one of the bullets got him," Aaron's father told WBAL.

Aaron's parents told the TV station that doctors cannot operate on their son because the bullet is lodged in his spine, a precarious spot.

The shooter has not been identified, and authorities say they are continuing to investigate.

Officers were called about 1 a.m. to the 7800 block of Bastille Road in Severn for reports of a large party underway and located the victim with a gunshot wound to his back. He was taken to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

Investigators learned of a second victim, a 17-year-old boy who left the scene before police arrived. The teen was shot in the arm and driven to St. Agnes Hospital by a friend. The youth was treated for an injury that was not believed to be life-threatening.

Detectives are trying to identify the suspect(s) and motive for the shooting. Anyone with information
is asked to call the Western District Detective Unit at 410-222-6155. Tipsters can remain anonymous by calling a 24-hour tip line at 410-222-4700.

— By Deb Belt and Elizabeth Janney

Photo courtesy of GoFundMe.