‘I could have died’: 14-year-old speaks out after surviving shooting during ‘teen takeover’ in Detroit

DETROIT – A 14-year-old boy nearly died after a bullet passed through his chest, missing his heart by just a few centimeters during a teen takeover in Downtown Detroit last month.

Tavuan Clark is now back home recovering, and he wants other teenagers to hear his story.

“I want to say stop the violence and violence is not cool,” Tavuan said.

The shooting happened around 9:30 p.m. on May 17 near the intersection of Farmer Street and Grand River Avenue. Police say an argument over an electric scooter escalated into a physical fight between two groups of teenagers and gunfire erupted.

Tavuan, a soon-to-be 9th grader, had been hanging out with friends downtown when the chaos broke out.

“Was going to fight again and then I just heard gunshots going off,” he said. “I just know I couldn’t breathe and I had to drop down.”

It took him about a minute to realize he had been shot.

He was rushed to Children’s Hospital of Michigan in critical condition. Doctors worked to stop the bleeding and discovered how close he came to not surviving.

“The bullet went right through his chest, missed his heart by just a few centimeters — and it could’ve been the difference between life and death for him,” said Dr. Scott Langenburg, chief of pediatric surgery at Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Langenburg says children too often don’t survive these situations. On Friday, he joined Detroit Medical Center’s “End Gun Violence” rally, where families and staff were taught how to “stop the bleed.”

He pointed to a deeper problem fueling the violence.

“People reacting, people not controlling their anger and just not being kind to one another,” Langenburg said.

Tavuan’s mother, Tracey Clark, is still processing what happened to her son.

“I’m just happy to have my son and to have him walking around,” she said.

Tavuan spent days in the hospital before returning home.

His recovery is ongoing, but he’s already back with friends and looking ahead to getting back on the football field. His mother has even bigger dreams for him.

“I want to see him succeed. I want to see him go a little further. I would love to see him on the Lions,” Tracey said.

Suspect charged as adult

A 17-year-old, identified as Ramon Javon Perez Smith, was charged as an adult in connection with the shooting.

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office charged him with Assault with Intent to Murder, Assault with Intent to do Great Bodily Harm, Felonious Assault, Carrying a Concealed Weapon, and three counts of Felony Firearm. His bond was set at $500,000.

A second suspect, a 16-year-old, was taken into custody at the scene and faces juvenile charges for carrying a concealed weapon.