Senior Lebraya Green was standing outside of work when she found out about her brother, Joshell Green, being shot in the head. “At first, I thought he was in the hospital because he got beat up really bad. [My cousin] told me he’d been shot in the head and I kept asking her what she was talking about,” she said. She called her mom, who was on her way to work in Norfolk. No one had called her or her mom for a half hour after the shooting. “My aunt’s house was taped off and my cousin drove by, that’s how she found out and called me. I was freaking out. There’s no other way to describe it. I didn’t know what to do,” she said.

The 72 hours following, while Joshell fought for his life, were the start to a long journey for the family. “Everyone was wondering if he’d survive, and I was afraid even if he did, he’d be brain dead,” said Lebraya Green. Joshell Green not only survived; he has made miraculous recovery progress.
Joshell Green has to overcome challenges everyday. “He has a metal plate in more than half of his head, so loud surroundings and lights give him really bad headaches,” said Lebraya Green. He is also missing his right frontal lobe, which impacts his emotions and willpower. “We don’t know how he’ll be able to handle situations correctly and keep his emotions under control [going forward],” she said.

Lebraya Green says not a day goes by when she doesn’t think about her brother. “I wonder what really happened, like what went on. My brother doesn’t remember any of that day at all, and I don’t want him to remember,” she said. Lebraya Green says everything she thinks about relates back to her brother. “People staring at me makes me feel weird. Like okay I get it, stop looking at me,” she said.

The Green family has remained strong throughout the journey. “It’s definitely changed a lot of us, none of us will ever be the same. It was my cousin who shot my brother, so that makes it more complicated between us all. If it had been a stranger that would’ve helped, but we all still love each other,” she said. She said while she and Joshell were close growing up, they had started going their separate ways a bit more in high school. “We weren’t really talking before all this happened, and then it happened, and now when I go up there, he talks to me about everything,” she said.

This experience has given Lebraya Green a lot of personal insight about the people around her. “The day after Joshell got shot, I had at least 85 new friend requests on Facebook, and they’re all still sitting there. I got a lot of messages asking if we were okay, which was fine, but a lot of people said ‘Hey, hope everything’s okay… So, what happened?’ Like, that’s why they really cared,” she said.

Lebraya Green said her first day back at school after everything happened, she just wanted to leave. “Something goes wrong and everybody in this town starts being fake and acting like they care,” she said.“I get people wanna make sure [we’re] okay, but all these fake people coming up to me saying they were here for me and loved me like they ever cared about me or Joshell before this made me frustrated.” Lebraya Green says a lot of her irritation stems from how her peers made fun of her brother. “People made fun of him for the way he walked or whatever else, and now they tell me they love him and they’re praying. The prayers are appreciated, the support is appreciated, because by all means we need it; but don’t make it seem like you’re closer than ever,” she said.

Lebraya Green says this has made her think differently about her choices. “I think about the things I used to put myself through and how quickly it can all change. Stupid mistakes can either hurt someone else or ruin your own life forever. You have to think about the decisions you make before you make them and be smarter,” she said.

Lebraya Green hopes for her brother to overcome his challenges and cope positively with what has happened to him. “He and my cousin were really close before this happened, I know it won’t go back to exactly how it was, but it’s important for them to stay somewhat close because they were attached at the hip,” she said. She hopes his health will continue to be restored so he can get as close back to normal as possible. ”I don’t want him to spend his whole life upset. I just want him to find something that makes him happy in life,” she said.

Lebraya Green said this isn’t the first time Joshell Green has come close to losing his life. “He’s lived with cerebral palsy and he was shot in the head and is still alive,” said Lebraya Green. “He’s a warrior; he obviously has a purpose in life because he just keeps living. He’s not here for no reason.”

On April 23, from 4-8 p.m., there will be a spaghetti dinner benefit at North Platte Senior Center featuring a silent auction and free gun safety instruction. The family is selling t-shirts an