CHICAGO, April 23 (UPI) -- Thieves stole the specially equipped van given to the family of a Chicago teenager left paralyzed by a shooting.
Ondelee Perteet, 16, can still get to medical appointments, the Chicago Tribune reported.
But the van allowed him to do other things, including talking to students in Chicago schools about gun violence.
The van disappeared Wednesday. Samariah Smith, who raised the money to buy the 1998 Dodge Caravan for Ondelee and his family last Christmas, is now making another fundraising effort.
"He shouldn't have to sit in that house," Smith told the newspaper. "If the van shows up, that's great, but by then we'll have a new van."
Ondelee was shot at age 14 when a birthday party turned violent. A bullet hit his spinal cord, leaving him a quadriplegic.
He has another hurdle coming up, testifying against the accused shooter.
"I am afraid," he said. "It's going to be a big relief when the trial is over. I just hope justice is served."
