I'm just sickened by the shooting of five year old Tyris Jones. In case you missed it, it happened Saturday night at the Dawson Manor apartment complex in the 1800 block of Russell in East St. Louis. The little boy was asleep in his second floor bedroom when a stray bullet ripped through a wall in hit Tyris in his chest.

During an exclusive interview with News 4 Monday, the boy's great-grandmother told me how "extremely blessed her grandson is, especially since he survived the shooting." Moreover, it was also amazing, yet great to hear, that while en route to the hospital, Tyris "remained conscious and kept talking to nurses and paramedics" despite being shot! Way to go Tyris, and you should know that a lot of us are pulling for you!

Before i jet off, today we're also pursuing this story on several levels including confirming that a 14 year old boy is still in custody in connection with the shooting and that a 15 year old boy was questioned, and released after telling detectives he and his friend "were just playing with a handgun when it accidentally discharged, hitting Tyris."

Nonetheless, what were those kids doing with a gun? More and more, we continue to see guns in the hands of teens, teens committing violent crimes and families suffering the painful repercussions. As a society, we must do more to stop these violent incidences from occurring.

Please, let me know your feedback on any of this. Keep it on News 4. I hope to soon report that "TYRIS HAS LEFT THE HOSPITAL AND GONE HOME, JUST IN TIME FOR THANKSGIVING!"

---