STOCKTON, Calif. — King Gammage isn't much of a talker-- unless the 6-year-old Stockton boy is on the field.
"He's a leader," said Gammage's football coach Colton Graim. "He's a natural leader. He tries hard every time he's out there and everything. He's a star."
From the sidelines to the stands, everyone seems to agree.
"Player of the game twice in one season... It's like, that's a big deal," sad Gammage's mom Aahielah Johnson. "He's leading the stretches now."
Just nine months ago, however, life tackled the 6-year-old.
"My son was hit in crossfire on December 16. He was sitting in the car at a store, and the bullet nicked his hip, which impaired his walking completely," said Johnson of the triple shooting in downtown Stockton. "In the beginning, it was very difficult because I wished that I could take his pain away."
Police have yet to make an arrest in the shooting, but ask people with information to call CrimeStoppers.
What followed the sudden shooting was months of recovery. At one point, Gammage was confined to just his couch and a walker, but the burdens couldn't tackle his spirit.
"I asked him if he wanted to take a year off (from football), and he told me no," said Johnson.
Gammage's cousin-turned-trainer was just as surprised.
"I didn’t want him to come back on the field so fast," said cousin Tyrone Vickers. "But, like, he just proved everybody wrong that he can go back on that field."
A 6-year-old whose actions are his words is turning life’s tackles into touchdowns.
"He just fully used it as a recovery method. Like, he did his physical therapy on the field," said Johnson. "For me, it's a miracle."
Watch more from ABC10: 5-year-old Stockton boy on road to recovery after being hurt in triple shooting
