ATLANTA (AP) — Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal has donated a home to an Atlanta woman whose 12-year-old son was shot at a school football game and paralyzed from the chest down.
O’Neal tells WXIA-TV that Isaiah Payton’s family was living in a one-bedroom apartment that wasn’t accessible for people with disabilities, but they now have a home in a good neighborhood. He says he’s helping furnish the home and will pay its rent for the next year.
Isaiah was shot through the spine in August after a football scrimmage between two high schools. Sixteen-year-old Damean Spear also was wounded and treated for minor injuries. Isaiah’s mother, Allison Woods, has said relearning how to care for Isaiah meant she had to leave her job, adding financial stress to her emotional turmoil.
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