EJ Lightsey 'very lucky' gunshot wounds weren't worse - Kirby Smart
Kirby Smart provided an encouraging update on Georgia signee EJ Lightsey after the Dawgs’ Thursday spring practice session.
Lightsey signed with Georgia out of Fitzgerald High School in February.
A few weeks later, Lightsey was an innocent bystander working out in the Fitzgerald park where a gang-related shooting took place.
Multiple bullets reportedly wounded his shoulder and back.
“It’s a really tough situation, but I think he’s going to have a full recovery and be able to start with us fine in June,” Smart said.
Georgia’s football staff kept in touch with EJ Lightsey during his recovery
Kirby Smart went down to meet EJ Lightsey in Fitzgerald leading up to National Signing Day in February.
He could tell that the state champion linebacker meant a lot to the Purple Hurricane community.
“He’s just a tremendous kid. From going down and recruiting him, everybody in the community talks about him,” Smart said.
After the shooting, Lightsey and some of Fitzgerald’s football staff came to Athens for some evaluations, according to Lightsey’s instagram, and a couple Fitzgerald sources I spoke with.
“He’s come up and seen us I know with his coaches a couple times. (He) had a really unfortunate incident where he was kind of an innocent bystander and got hit by a stray bullet – several of them,” Smart added.
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The Fitzgerald Police Department announced the arrests of two men in connection with the shooting last month.
Athletic Trainer Ron Courson says Lightsey’s injuries could have been life-threatening
One other victim in the shooting, 37-year-old Maurice Robinson, went to a Macon hospital. Robinson succumbed to his wounds on February 24th.
EJ Lightsey’s wounds put him in the hospital in Albany.
He’s amazingly fortunate that his injuries didn’t prove fatal.
“He’s actually very lucky that it wasn’t worse,” Smart said. “According to Ron (Courson), it was an inch from probably getting in his heart.”
EJ Lightsey restored a Georgia connection for the people of Fitzgerald when he signed in February.
The best news yet: he’s still here for them to see that dream become a reality.
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