Howard Boone was supposed to be graduating from Saint Augustine’s University but his education was put on hold as he was the innocent victim of a shooting during Spring Break. Boone was hurt when an individual shot him in the neck, causing severe injuries.
The incident happened March 18 outside a nightclub in Columbia, South Carolina, where Boone had gone to visit friends. During an altercation in which he was an innocent bystander, a shooting left Boone and two other victims critically injured.
Boone, a criminal justice major from Raleigh was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. However he has recovered enough to leave the hospital. Boone is recuperating in the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia.
The incident caused much grief and sadness on the campus of Saint Augustine’s University, and many undertook whatever actions they could. Students sent get well cards and contributed to a GoFundMe site set up for Boone. His fellow ROTC cadets honored Boone by cancelling many of their activities, including the military ball event that they were planning to have April 12.
There was even a fundraiser at the Miss and Mister Saint Augustine’s University Pageant, in which students contributed to Boone and his family. The GoFundMe site has raised $8,735 dollars toward the goal of $10,000.
The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., into which Boone was planning to cross, paid him tribute during the probate by honoring him “in spirit” with a shirt dedicated to Boone as “Purple Heart.”
“All of us as a line felt that it was important to honor him because of the person he is,” said Jalen McDaniel, one of Boone’s line brothers. “If we were in his position he would have done the same for us.”
— Sterling Raynor
