Mother of 3-year-old shot during vigil in Homewood: ‘He thinks he died'

PITTSBURGH — Three months after 3-year-old Rodnell Lyman was shot in the face while attending a vigil with his mother, an arrest has yet to be made in the case and the impact of the night continues to wear on Rodnell.

Channel 11’s Damany Lewis paid a visit to Rodnell and his mother, Clarice Burse, earlier this week with the boy’s favorite cereal, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, in hand.

FREE APPS | NOW | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

• Company fires employee who taunted gas drilling protesters with racial slurs
• Grandmother with dementia receives baby doll, reaction is heartwarming
• Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls to increase by 6 percent in 2016
• PHOTOS: World rings in the New Year

Rodnell and his mother were attending a vigil in September  in Pittsburgh’s Homewood neighborhood for a friend who was shot and killed when they became victims of gun violence.

During the vigil, shots were fired and Rodnell was shot in the face along with a 49-year-old woman and a 12-year-old girl.

• Woman, 2 children hurt in shooting during vigil in Homewood

“I couldn’t even find him. I was spinning around in circles looking for him, and when I found him, I didn’t know he was shot,” Burse said.

After multiple surgeries, Rodnell was released from the hospital. His physical wounds are slowly fading, but the psychological impact is still very much visible.

• 3-year-old boy shot in cheek at vigil recovering at home

“He thinks he died,” Burse said. “He used to like cowboy shows. Anytime he sees that, he goes grandma, to my mom, or to me. He says, ‘He died like me.’”

Over a bowl of cereal with Lewis, Rodnell opened up, saying it’s hard for him to sleep at night because of monsters.

“I see him (the monsters) a lot … in my nightmares,” the 3-year-old said.

Burse said she and her son go to therapy once a week, but times are hard.

“I blame myself all the time. I could have left him at home or we could have left early,” Burse said.

Rodnell said this Christmas he wanted a dog to protect him and his mother from monsters. But what would relieve both of their fears is an arrest.

Burse said that she isn’t giving up hope that the person responsible for harming her son will be caught.

“There is hope. There is definitely hope. I feel if you shoot into a crowd of women and children, you don’t need to live your life every day. My son has to live his life in fear,” she said.

Burse said she’s grateful that her son is in her arms this holiday season and said with Rodnell’s birthday right around the corner, she has something special in store for him.

“His birthday is coming up, and we are doing a superhero theme because he's my superhero,” she said.

WPXI