Miami, FL
Teen paralyzed in shooting graduates from Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School:
Just five weeks after being paralyzed in a shooting outside his home, the 18-year-old proudly rolled across the graduation stage in his wheelchair Tuesday during a ceremony at the Ocean Bank Convention Center on the Florida International University campus.
Milestone in Johnson’s life
The moment marked a milestone Nehemiah Johnson and his family feared might not come. What was almost a tragedy became a moment of triumph and testimony.
Johnson, who had been hospitalized at Jackson Memorial Hospital after being shot outside his Northwest Miami-Dade home on April 21, accepted his diploma from Hialeah-Miami Lakes Senior High School to cheers and support from the crowd.
When asked how he felt about getting his diploma, Johnson said, “That’s my goal. Feeling real good for that.”
Before the shooting, Johnson had been the captain of the varsity basketball team and had enlisted in the U.S. Marines.
Reflecting on the past few months, Johnson shared the emotional toll the experience has taken.
“For these last couple months, it’s been a little up and down, but I’m feeling real blessed and happy to be here,” he said.
When asked about the future, Johnson shared that while the Marines had been the plan, things have shifted.
“Things change. So I’m trying to go to college now. I’m trying to stay offbeat,” he said. “I’m just going with the flow and seeing what things take me.”
Surrounded by friends, family and coaches, Johnson said, “I feel real good. It’s a lot of, it’s a lot of support everywhere, friends, family, my coaches. I’m just happy, man.”
A mother’s gratitude and hope
His mother, Naytalia, expressed her overwhelming gratitude and pride.
“I feel good about it. I’m thankful and grateful that he’s here for graduation, and we’re very thankful that he’s here today,” she said. “Bright future, we hope still, yes, still bright future. He’s planning to go to college. He got some options open, so yeah.”
She added, “We’re just feeling amazed. Uh, we’re thankful for them, thinking about him, the heat, thinking about him, the school thinking about him. I’m thankful for my pastor. He’s been with us every step of the way. Um, we’re just grateful. We’re grateful.”
“We’re not at a funeral. We’re at a graduation.”
Pastor Gaston Smith, who’s been closely supporting the family, said the night was nothing short of a blessing.
“Super proud, super proud, super grateful that we’re not at a funeral, we’re at a graduation, and day by day, he’s getting better. And we know that all his dreams are going to come true, and this is just the start of what God is going to do,” Smith said.
Case remains unsolved
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said the shooting occurred at 10:51 p.m. on April 21 near N.W. 28th Avenue and 87th Terrace.
Johnson’s mother believes it was a case of mistaken identity. She said her son was shot while cleaning out her car.
There are still no new leads in the case. When asked about justice, Johnson said, “Yeah, yes, I’m. I’m not too rare about who shot me. I’m just running about hitting that’s it.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477).
An investigation is underway at a northwest Miami-Dade apartment complex after the sheriff’s office said a man was shot by his girlfriend after a “heated dispute” early Wednesday morning.
Few details have been released, but the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office said the incident took place at an apartment complex located off Northwest 7th Avenue.
The sheriff’s office said that a man became involved in a “heated dispute” with his girlfriend, and she shot him in the right arm.
He was rushed to a hospital by Miami-Dade Fire Rescue in critical condition.
The woman is in custody.
The identities of those who were involved have not yet been released.
No other information was available.
Game date, time and location: Tuesday, Mar. 3, 7:30 p.m. EST, Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Sun, YES Network (Brooklyn)
Radio: 104.3 FM (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale), ESPN 106.3 FM, (West Palm Beach), FOX Sports Radio 105.9 FM (Ft. Myers/Naples), 1450 AM (Suart), 97.7 FM (Florida Keys), WAQI 710 AM (Spanish-language broadcast, South Florida), WFAN 101.9 FM/660 AM (Brooklyn)
VITALS: The Miami Heat (32-29) and Brooklyn Nets (15-45) meet for the second of three regular season matchups. Earlier this season, Miami recorded a, 106-95, win in Brooklyn on December 18 and has now won four of the last five overall against the Nets.
It also marks the first of consecutive games against Brooklyn with the teams facing each other again on Thursday. The Heat are 83-61 all-time versus the Nets during the regular season, including 44-26 in home games and 39-35 in road games.
PROJECTED STARTERS
HEAT
G Davion Mitchell
G Tyler Herro
C Bam Adebayo
F Pelle Larsson
F Andrew Wiggins
NETS
G Nolan Traore
G Terance Mann
C Nic Claxton
F Michael Porter Jr.
F Noah Clowney
INJURY REPORT
HEAT
Davion Mitchell: Questionable – Shoulder
Norman Powell: Out – Groin
Nikola Jovic: Out – Back
Trevor Keels: Available – G League
Jahmir Young: Available – G League
Vlad Goldin: Available – G League
Terry Rozier: Out – Not with team
NETS
Nic Claxton: Probable – Thumb
Egor Demin: Out – Foot
QUOTABLE
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra: “Regardless of the scheme is, I always go back to that, it’s just about committing to doing hard things. We were really moving in the zone, taking away airspace and scrambling to challenge shots at the rim. In a lot of these losses in the last month we’ve just been giving up shots at the rim and threes.”
For more Miami Heat information and conversation, check out Off The Floor.
Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket
ORLANDO, Fla. — Lionel Messi scored twice in a four-goal second half, defender Telasco Segovia added a goal and two assists and defending champion Inter Miami CF rallied to beat Orlando City SC 4-2 on Sunday night, winning for the first time at Inter&Co Stadium.
Messi took a pass from Segovia and scored in the 57th minute to tie it 2-2, and Segovia scored unassisted in the 85th for the lead. Messi put the finishing touch on the victory when he scored off a free kick in the 90th.
“The victory belongs exclusively to the players,” Miami coach Javier Mascherano said after the game. “In the second half, they were a championship team. There were no tactics, nothing like that. There was heart, courage, possession, resilience, commitment. I think the team came out because they were champions last year.
“In the end, the players showed it. This victory is theirs.”
Messi’s first two goals of the season give him 52 in his first 55 regular-season MLS matches — 51 of them in his past 49 appearances. It also brought the reigning MLS MVP to 898 career goals scored, including 672 for Barcelona and 115 for Argentina.
“He’s the best player to ever play this sport. He’s a leader, and as a leader, he inspires others, but he also often needs to be inspired himself,” Mascherano said of Messi. “When he was driving forward, he had more attacking options, and with so many opportunities, he clearly has the ability to create chances like no one else, and that’s what allowed us to turn the game around.”
Marco Pašalić took a pass from Iván Angulo and scored in the 18th minute to give Orlando City a 1-0 lead. Pašalić has scored in four straight matches against Inter Miami.
Defender Griffin Dorsey set up Martín Ojeda for a goal six minutes later for a 2-0 advantage that stood through halftime.
Inter Miami cut it to 2-1 four minutes into the second half on Mateo Silvetti’s first career goal. Defenders Segovia and Facundo Mura had assists as the 20-year-old forward found the net in his fifth career appearance.
Segovia had eight goals and six assists as a rookie last season, while Mura collected his first assist in his first season.
Dayne St. Clair, the reigning goalkeeper of the year, turned away three shots — all in the second half of his second start with Inter Miami, but let in a soft goal for Orlando’s first.
Maxime Crépeau had four saves in his second start for Orlando City.
Teenager Colin Guske, 19, will miss Orlando City’s next match after the rookie picked up two yellow cards in his first start — the second one led to his exit in the 88th minute.
Inter Miami, which had never won in its previous nine trips to Orlando, was coming off a 3-0 road loss to LAFC.
Orlando City swept Inter Miami during the regular season last year and leads the all-time series 8-7-4.
Inter Miami plays D.C. United on Saturday at Audi Field. Orlando City is also on the road with a match against New York City FC.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this recap.
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