4-year-old Oakland boy showing signs of improvement after accidentally shooting himself in head

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ByLaura Anthony KGO logo
Friday, April 12, 2019
EXCLUSIVE: Oakland boy recovers after accidentally shooting himself in head
It was horrible accident that left an Oakland boy fighting for his life. The 4-year-old found a gun under a pillow last month and the unthinkable happened - he accidentally shot himself in the head. But now Navaun's condition has improved dramatically. It's a development his family is calling a "miracle." It's a story you'll see only on ABC7 News.

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- It was horrible accident that left an Oakland boy fighting for his life. The 4-year-old found a gun under a pillow last month and the unthinkable happened - he accidentally shot himself in the head. But now Navaun's condition has improved dramatically. It's a development his family is calling a "miracle." It's a story you'll see only on ABC7 News.

A cellphone video shot by his grandfather shows a little boy, his eyes open, responding to his loved ones as he lay in a hospital bed.

Just two weeks ago, it seemed scenes like these might never happen.

With no sign of brain activity, doctors prepared his family for the worst.

RELATED: Man arrested after 4-year-old boy shot in head in Oakland

But now the young boy is awake, responsive and he's out of intensive care.

"I always pray for the best so I knew he was going to be okay," said his mother Brijjanna Price.

Navaun can now sit in a wheelchair and he shows signs of improvement every day, although he still can't talk.

There is a GoFundMe page to help contribute to his recovery.

"Every day he's doing something different so my son's going to be back soon," said Brijjanna. "He may not be back to the way he was, but he'll be back."

"He's moving his foot now, he's kicking pillows," said Navaun's grandfather Ramon Price. "He's reaching for his feeding tube and his wraps with both hands. He's clutching things with his hands. He's moving his head, following you with his eyes."

Navaun shot himself March 27 after he found a gun on a bed at the East Oakland home of his mother's boyfriend Terrence Wilson.

RELATED: 4-year-old Oakland boy shot in head, in critical condition

Asked if she had any idea there was something dangerous under a pillow, Brijjanna Price told us, "Not at all. If i knew my son wouldn't have been in that house."

Wilson was arrested and charged with multiple felonies, including child abuse, possession of a firearm by a felon and first degree criminal firearm storage.

Navaun's father Nathan Jackson remains in state prison and the family continues to lobby Gov. Gavin Newsom's office to allow him to visit the son he's never met in person.

"My only concern is that his father gets a chance to hold his son, and comfort his son and be by his son's bedside," said Ramon.

While Navaun's family is encouraged by his improvement here at the hospital, they are also well aware his future is uncertain.

"I know it ain't going to be a regular life now," said Brijjanna, but I want him to just live his life, grow up, be something, be what he wants to be."