Meaningful message
Shooting victim brings positive words
— BRANDON GUERRERO, on being shot as a 7-year-old in Mission Hill ‘It definitely forced me to grow up faster. It also gave me a different perspective on life, people and the decisions they make.’
Brandon Guerrero’s day started with lively game of kickball in the Mission Hill playground. It ended with the 7-year-old being rushed to Boston Medical Center, the victim of gun violence. Guerrero survived and has become active in the community, speaking about his life-altering moment and how it has shaped his life. Now a senior at Boston Latin, one of those speeches came at the school, much to the surprise of his baseball coach.
“Brandon never told me what happened,” Rene Gauthier said. “When I heard about it, I was stunned and shocked. I am just so proud of him, watching him grow up and become a serious student in the classroom and a serious leader for our team.”
The incident is virtually a decade old, but Guerrero can remember every detail. He even splices a little levity in the story, talking about the gunshot ruining his favorite shirt at the time. “It was June 31, 2008, the day before my eighth birthday, and we were playing kickball in the playground next to my house.” said Guerrero, who now lives in Savin Hill with his mother Juana and 8-year-old sister Jessica. “We heard some noises from far away at the start. Then once they got closer, we realized they were not fireworks, but gunshots. We started running, the sounds were getting louder, then suddenly I noticed a huge red spot on my favorite shirt, looked down and saw it was blood, then I started yelling that I had been shot.
“The bullet ended up hitting me in the center of the back, went through two left ribs and came out my shoulder. I needed six months of physical therapy, but I was fine after that.” Guerrero feels the shooting has made him a better and stronger person, one of the messages he delivers whenever he speaks to a group of people.
“It definitely forced me to grow up faster,” Guerrero said. “It also gave me a different perspective on life, people and the decisions they make. Being able to get out and speak about what happened to me has changed me in a positive way.”
After surviving a gunshot wound, other speed bumps in the road tend not to be as big. Guerrero wanted to be a multisport athlete at Boston Latin, but a knee injury put an end to his football career.
“I was playing cornerback and it was my first scrimmage against Brookline and I tried to tackle some big dude and wound up tearing my meniscus,” Guerrero said with a laugh. “After what I went through when I was 7, I know I can get through anything and that’s the attitude I have in life. Obstacles are going to come and go, but I know I can get by all of them.”
Guerrero stuck to baseball and has been mainstay in the outfield. He moved over from right field to center this season and has fueled a 7-3 start, batting better than .500 without committing an error.
“He’s a vocal leader. He’s very wellrespected on the team and in the school,” Gauthier said. “For instance, he’s taking AP writing, which is one of the toughest classes in the school. He’s worked so hard, leaned on his teacher and done very well.”
Guerrero is heading to UMass-Lowell in the fall, but still plans on getting his message out to youngsters in the Boston community.
“Some of the best things in my life happened in Mission Hill, where I had the worst thing happen to me,” Guerrero said. “What I tell people is that no matter where you are, things can happen anywhere. Just because it happened to me in Mission Hill doesn’t mean it couldn’t have happened anywhere, because statistics show it can and will.”