A single gunshot from an allegedly mishandled AR-15 on November 9 changed the life of 18-year-old Devin Floyd and his family forever.
Devin’s mother, Felicia Floyd, shared details of the night she received the call that her son had been shot in the neck. He had been riding with two friends near Joe Lee Road in Mendenhall. An AR-15 rifle was in the backseat of the vehicle. Floyd explained that details of how the gun misfired have not been consistent.
She added, “There is not some killer on the loose, but young teenagers should not be riding around with assault rifles.”
She said Devin was riding in the front passenger seat, and one version of the story has been that the assault rifle was bumped and misfired from the backseat, striking Devin. Another version has the weapon being handed from the back seat to the driver and then misfiring. From this point the situation became critical.
Floyd’s mother explained that Devin’s friend tied a t-shirt around his neck to slow the bleeding. The other called 911, and they raced to Highway 49 to meet a police escort to the emergency room at Magee General Hospital. Devin stopped breathing several times before arriving.
She said that the backseat passenger was let out of the vehicle before the driver headed to MGH.
Felicia left work immediately upon receiving the call. She said Devin was classified as dead on arrival, but the MGH staff was able to stabilize him, and he was airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC).
Devin was in surgery there for five hours as his medical team worked to stop the bleeding and assess the damage of the gunshot wound. He has remained at UMMC for the last two months and is recovering.
The process has been extremely difficult for Felicia and for Devin’s twin brother Micah. Felicia expressed frustration over being unable to retrieve Devin’s records from Magee General Hospital. Because Devin is 18, he is considered an adult and would have to give his permission for the records transfer. However, at this time Devin is unable to speak or communicate otherwise, so his mother would have to complete a legal process to gain access to his medical records.
She also said that Devin had a hole in his groin that could have possibly been from a PICC line and four of his teeth were broken but she wanted to verify that through the medical records.
Felicia said she did not believe the incident was investigated thoroughly before being ruled an accident. However, the two witnesses at the scene described the incident as an accident to officers.
She revealed that the incident report said another gun was found in the front seat of the vehicle and was said to belong to Devin. She questioned the two friends involved and they told her the gun belonged to the driver’s brother.
Aside from these issues, Devin is facing an uphill battle, but he is making progress. His injuries are extensive, and he has had several strokes, severe damage to the left side of his brain, a destroyed voice box, fractures in his neck and spine, and two collapsed lungs. Early in his hospitalization he was intubated to help with drainage, breathing, and eating. Felicia said Devin was unable to keep food down and aspirated due to vomiting.
Felicia said since being hospitalized Devin has been fighting infections, so doctors have struggled to begin repairing the damage caused by the gunshot. He has dealt with MRSA and staph infections and had an emergency surgery to remove skin from around his trachea. Despite the setbacks Devin continues to fight.
Felicia said, “He has fought all the way. He is one of the strongest people I know.”
She explained that he was unresponsive in the beginning and would only stare straight ahead. However, now he is responsive and is starting to move slightly despite having several injuries related to his eyesight.
Felicia said, “He smiled for the first time three days after Christmas. He’s following and smiling and making progression little by little.”
She said his C-collar has been removed and his oxygen levels have improved. Devin is being weaned off two medications, and there is a possibility that his trach can be removed once oxygen is removed and a speaking valve is installed.
Devin requires 24-hour care and will likely live in a facility for the rest of his life. This has prevented Felicia from returning to work while he is still in recovery. She has been away from her job on family leave which will last until February.
She thanked the community for all the support and love that has been shown to their family and said several people and churches have reached out and helped her during this trying time and she is forever grateful.
A GoFundMe page has been created explaining Devin’s situation with details of his recovery and can be accessed at https://gofund.me/db71b3af.
Felicia said, “As long as God is still waking him up, we are moving forward.”
