North Carolina Man Graduates 4 Years After Being Shot And Paralyzed From The Neck Down

Boone‘s life was forever changed back in 2018 during St. Patrick’s Day weekend. While visiting Columbia, South Carolina, for a fraternity event, a partygoer fired off a few shots into a crowd. One of these bullets struck Boone, a college junior at the time, in the neck.

“I was in a sedated coma for almost two weeks before I actually woke up,” Boone said. “I coded twice, on the scene and again during surgery.”

Eventually, the former athlete and Army Reserve Soldier awoke to discover that the bullet had cut his spinal cord, resulting in him being paralyzed from the neck down.

“Going back to football and sports, I had never really experienced an injury, so in the back of my mind I’m like ‘Is this how it feels to tear an ACL and go through surgery?'” Boone said. “I’m like ‘Okay, well give me about two weeks and I’ll be back on my feet, we good.'”

However, he instead went to an Atlanta-based rehabilitation clinic, where reality truly began to set in.”

“I lost feeling… like, I lost everything. Everything I worked for just went away,” he recalled.

We are #BooneStrong for St. Augustine’s University student Howard Boone who is finally home in Raleigh after being shot in the back of his neck outside a South Carolina bar in March. He’s paralyzed from the neck down and getting around-the-clock care. #ABC11 pic.twitter.com/7YdVZzJmeZ

— Andrea Blanford (@AndreaABC11) June 11, 2018

During a depressive moment, Boone wound up meeting another patient who was in a similar situation, which helped give him a different view of the matter.

“He rolled into the room, and I’m sitting just looking at the wall and just crying,” Boone said. “That moment gave me more perspective on me being in rehab, and it kind of opened my eyes a little bit.”

The interaction also inspired Boone to complete his criminal justice degree from SAU.

“If I start something, I’ve got to finish it,” Boone said. “When I got shot, I was going into my senior year. That’s two semesters, that’s too easy.”

Boone was able to use his phone‘s voice command feature to complete his assignments, eventually finishing up his necessary coursework and graduating with SAU’s Class of 2022.

“The whole time during the ceremony I’m in a daze, like I’m feeling like I’m going to black out because it’s unreal,” Boone said. “It’s my time for me to get to go up there.”

Howard Boone was out with friends in March 2018 when a stray bullet hit him in the neck, paralyzing him.

A former athlete turned US Army reservist, Boone dealt with depression before deciding to keep pursuing his goals.

This weekend he graduated from St. Aug’s. On @WRAL at 4:45 pic.twitter.com/yDQS6ULfsh

— Keenan Willard (@KeenanWRAL) May 3, 2022

Now that he’s earned his Bachelor’s, Boone’s setting his sights on eventually getting off of his ventilator, which he has used to help him breathe since the injury.

Additionally, he notes that his priority in life is to “leave a legacy and tell stories when you’re older.”

Shoutout to Howard Boone Jr.!