November 2012, was just like any other day but sadly before
the day was over, two families had their world turned upside down. Howe 15 accidentally shot 13-year-old Lourdes
"Jina" Guzman-DeJesus while they were both riding on a South
Miami-Dade school bus. Florida based , Ady Guzman-DeJesus faced her child's
killer in court this week and did something so profound, it stunned everyone
gathered: she approached the young man, and hugged him.
The teenager responsible for the girl's death, 16-year-old
Jordyn Howe, is said to have been overcome with emotion as his victim's mother
held him in her arms. “I’m sorry,” Howe is quoted as telling the woman, while
fighting back tears.
According to the
Associated Press, Howe had taken his stepfather's pistol and brought it to
school. He had reportedly been showing it off to his friends when the weapon
discharged, shooting Lourdes in the neck.
She later died at the hospital.
Howe pleaded guilty Tuesday to manslaughter with a deadly
weapon, possession of a firearm by a minor and carrying a concealed weapon.
In an incredible gesture of forgiveness and selflessness,
Lourdes' mother, Ady Guzman-DeJesus, agreed to a plea deal for Howe which will
allow him to avoid prison time. According to the AP, Howe will be attending a
juvenile rehabilitation academy and later, the teen -- with Guzman-DeJesus by
his side -- will speak at schools about the dangers of guns.
“We can make a change to help other children,”
Guzman-DeJesus told reporters after Howe's hearing Tuesday. "[Howe] was
Jina’s friend, too, and I know she wouldn’t want the worst."
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