Keeping the safety on

It only takes a second — and one bullet — to alter the course of a life. A straight-A student at St. Joseph’s Prep was bound for Harvard before a stray bullet struck him outside his North Philly home a couple of years ago. Today, the victim requires constant care. He can’t feed himself and can’t even breathe on his own.

The victim’s story — along with that of another victim and a perpetrator serving a life sentence for a fatal shooting — is featured in a documentary about gun violence that eventually will be shown in high-school classrooms across the city. Horace Furness School, Third and Mifflin streets, will be the site of the pilot program this spring.

The documentary surely will take on added poignancy in the wake of a shootout this month at a North Philly school that left a 10-year-old boy critically wounded. Faheem Thomas-Childs died Monday after his family removed him from life support.

"For every crime that involves a gun, there’s a life that’s lost or someone is injured or maimed for life. That’s the most tragic part of it all," said Furness principal Jesse King.

The video’s distinct tales of the three young men, all about the same age, are linked by bullets and remain living examples of the consequences of crimes committed with guns.

"It’s a gripping, graphic demonstration of what gun violence can do to victims and families — and it’s all real," said Rich Manieri, spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office. "These are real stories of real people. It’s not easy to watch. It’s difficult, but it needs to be in order to drive the point home."

The U.S. Attorney’s Office produced the documentary as part of Project Sentry, a federal initiative that focuses on the prosecution and deterrence of juvenile gun crime. School-related gun violence and adults who illegally provide youths with weapons fall under the program’s auspices.

In conjunction with the video, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the School District of Philadelphia announced plans for a mentoring program between the prosecutor’s office and a class at Furness’ Academy of Law and Criminal Justice.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office will send 32 mentors — all young attorneys — to Furness to talk about the perils of guns and gun violence, said King. They also will give them guidance about careers in the legal area — not just to become lawyers, but to explore the literally hundreds of jobs that fall under the realm of law enforcement, King added.

The video debuted at a press conference earlier this month at Furness with U.S. Attorney Patrick Meehan and School District CEO Paul Vallas in attendance.

Furness’ principal admits he was rather curious why the U.S. Attorney’s Office selected his school to launch the program. Violence goes hand in hand with reading, writing and arithmetic at many high schools in the city — even some in South Philly.

But Furness isn’t one of them, noted King. There have not been any shootings at the high school, he said, and to the best of King’s knowledge, no firearms have even been confiscated there.

But while no gun-related incidents have occurred on school grounds, at least one Furness student was the victim of a drive-by shooting in South Philly, the principal noted.

King said he was informed that Furness’ strong and active Academy of Law and Criminal Justice attracted the attention of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Manieri confirmed that was the reason the school was chosen.

Law Academy coordinator Joella Dougherty believes the anti-gun documentary will reach her students.

"It’s a portion of the curriculum that is going to go into classes to show students how dangerous guns are. It’s a very moving video," she said.

The video also will be shown in health and physical-education classes at the high school so more students can be reached, King said.

The principal said it makes him feel good that Furness was chosen as the pilot site, and believes the teaching tool will be effective.

"It’s information for children," he said. "There are so many statistics that show children victimized by violence and others who are institutionalized [for having committed it]. If they get the information ahead of time and are warned about the very stiff sentences that go along with gun violence, that will certainly help them."

Detectives Bob Lis and Bob Conn, who make up South Detective Division’s Gun Violence Team, have an up-close look at how firearms affect some South Philly youths. The pair investigates shootings and other aggravated assaults exclusively.

While Lis, a 34-year veteran of the police force, considers the video a great idea, he feels such a tool would have far greater impact if introduced to a younger audience.

"I think ages 9-11 should be made aware of gun violence. Kids as young as 10 and 11 are carrying guns these days. I can show you video of kids 13, 14, standing around showing off guns," Lis said.

The detective believes that by the time youths enter high school, the message about gun violence might fall on deaf ears.

"It might be too late. They’ll sit there and laugh [at the video]," the detective said. "If it sinks in for one person, that’s good. But I think when you’re in high school, you’ve already been exposed to that."

Manieri, of the U.S. Attorney’s Office, acknowledged the video might not reach everyone. But for those it does, it could be a lifesaver, he stressed.

"Even if it reaches a handful of people and keeps them out of potentially dangerous situations, it will be worth it 100 times over," he said.