INDIANAPOLIS -- The Ben Davis High School football player who was hit in a drive-by shooting last month is recovering, but still has a lot to overcome, according to his aunt.
Jamilah Mintze says her nephew, 18-year-old Rondell Allen, is improving since he was shot July 31 at the Heather Ridge Apartments.
Allen, a standout football star at Ben Davis, was struck in the chest by a bullet as an unknown gunman opened fire from another vehicle at the entrance to the complex.
PREVIOUS | Ben Davis High School football standout shot in drive-by
Two other passengers in the car, both 16-year-olds, were not injured.
Mintze said Allen’s mother has remained by her son’s side 24/7.
“I was just there on Friday with him and his mother and he is in good spirits and has his favorite thing, a football, right next to him, along with watching ESPN to catch up on his favorite sport,” Mintze said.
Mintze said the family is asking for privacy as police still have not identified any suspects in Allen’s shooting.
The shooting was just the first in a series of difficult moments for the Allen family. Just days after Allen was shot, his older brother, Antonio Allen II, was arrested on an alleged probation violation. Allen II pleaded guilty in 2015 to two drug convictions out of Monroe County.
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Allen’s shooting came just a day before his football team was set to begin fall practices. Ben Davis football coach Mike Kirschner said the team will have Allen in the back of their minds until he’s recovered.
"I just want him healthy,” Kirschner said. “Life is too short."
Allen’s family has set up a GoFundMe account to help offset the cost of his medical expenses. It can be found here.
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