UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (WUSA9) -- On Monday, hundreds of students walked across the stage at The Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Maryland and picked up diplomas.
One of them was Turan Caudle, a senior at Frederick Douglass High School who wasn’t expected to be alive a year ago.
“I’m nervous,” Caudle told WUSA9, “but hey – I did it man!”
In 2015, family and friends say Caudle was an honor student with a promising future in football.
His high school team had just won the state championship, but on January 25, 2015, everything changed.
Police say Caudle and a friend were at 16-year-old Delano Dunmore’s home in Clinton, Maryland – playing video games – when an argument ensued.
According to police, the argument “escalated” and Dunmore shot his two friends, then himself.
Police arrested and charged Dunmore with attempted murder and assault. He was charged as an adult, but the case was ultimately handled in juvenile court.
Caudle was shot in the head and barely survived.
He spent months at Medstar National Rehabilitation Hospital relearning basic skills – like how to walk, talk, and hold things.
On Friday, Caudle went to prom, with a date and a smile.
Three days later, he graduated – as his family cheered from the stands.
“It’s a very, very happy feeling,” said Caudle’s mother, Sherita.
“He fought. Just never gave up and always had a smile on his face. He [acted] like nothing ever went on.”
His parents say he’s far from done.
Caudle has a summer job lined up, and they say he will begin taking courses at a trade school in Baltimore this fall.
When asked about his plans, Caudle smiled and told WUSA9, “I’m happy.”
Caudle's aunt set up a GoFundMe page in support for her nephew. You can donate here.
