LOS ANGELES, Aug. 26 (JTA) — The youngest and most gravely wounded of the five victims shot at the Los Angeles Jewish community center earlier this month will remain in the hospital for at least another two weeks, longer than doctors had estimated. Bullets from alleged gunman Buford O’Neal Furrow Jr. shattered 5-year-old Benjamin Kadish’s thighbone and pierced his stomach. Kadish’s biggest problem is his fear of putting any weight on the wounded leg because of the pain, said Dr. Luis Montes, chief rehabilitation physician at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. During the next few weeks, Kadish will learn how to use a wheelchair and walk with crutches, but his overall outlook is positive. “The first step is to get him out of bed and moving around,” Montes told the Los Angeles Times. “Then we’ll get him walking again. Within three to four months, we expect he’d be back 100 percent.” Although Kadish’s spirits are improving daily, it is not clear how the traumatic experience will affect him in the long run. During regular visits by the hospital psychiatrist, Kadish talks about the shooting some days, but not others. “It’s so difficult to tell how the shooting is going to affect his behavior,” Montes told the newspaper. “At this point, we just want to get him up and running around like any other 5-year old.” The four others who were shot at the North Valley Jewish Community Center — a 68-year-old receptionist, 16-year-old counselor and two 6-year-old boys — have been released from local hospitals.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
