Pediatric orthopedic surgeon speaks on trauma gun violence has on kids

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A man is accused of shooting up a home filled with his family members, sending a woman and a toddler to the hospital. On Monday, the man, Jamison Cameron, was in court to face charges.

The toddler was not shot but was injured by debris when Cameron allegedly opened fire on family members, police said. FOX13’s Dominique Dillon spoke with Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital pediatric orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Derek Kelly, about the trauma gun violence may have on kids.

“I would really like to see these numbers decrease. These are all senseless,” said Kelly.

The number of children treated for gunshot wounds at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital is set to outpace last year’s data. “In 2023, we had 180 or so children come up to our hospital after being shot. We had a little less last year, 160. And this year it is looking like we are on track to have really high numbers again,” said Kelly. 

The shooting happened Sunday on Eden Park Drive. Investigators said a woman was shot in the leg. Police said a two-year-old was injured by debris. 

“This can be traumatic for any family member, whether they’re injured themselves or whether they have siblings or other members in the household. They will all be affected by this,” said Kelly. 

Cameron is facing five counts of attempted murder and possession of a firearm by a felon and one count of reckless endangerment and aggravated child abuse. 

“We have a number of programs in place for our traumatically injured children at Le Bonheur. And unfortunately we have a lot of experience with this because we have so many children injured,” said Kelly.

Cameron remains in custody at 201 Poplar on a $750,000 bail. 

The hospital has resources for children in need. If you would like more information, click here.