SHELDON WILLIAMS, STAR Writer

After being shot in his leg by gunmen while he slept at his home, a 15-year-old football prodigy now has an unwanted reminder of that incident, a bullet lodged in his right foot.

The teen, Jhavan 'Sample' Kerr, has had to take time from playing football with the Daytona Under-17 team to ensure that he recovers fully. At present, he is waiting for the bullet to be removed so that he can one day rejoin his team.

"It nah pain me but me want it come out and done ... me a run pon it, mi can run all a ten minutes but after that it ago hurt me," Kerr explained.

However, despite his setback, Kerr remains confident that he can make it back to the field of play in quick time.

"Probably me nah go sit out the season, a just couple matches me a go miss," he emphasised.

Information reaching THE STAR is that Kerr was an innocent victim of ongoing violence between Phase 2 and Phase 3 in the Portmore community of Braeton.

It is understood that on May 2, sometime between 1 and 2 a.m., Kerr along with his cousin were both shot by gunmen as they slept in their family home in Phase 3.

According to residents, gunmen seized the opportunity to attack the boys as the Braeton community had been tense because of a resurgence of violence between Phase 2 and 3.

On that ill-fated morning, gunmen approached the home and pointed their guns through a window to the bedroom where the boys were and fired at least two shots before escaping. Those two shots immediately awoke Kerr's mother, Natasha, who immediately acted on instinct and descended from her bed taking her daughter with her to safety.

It was Natasha who soon realised that her son had been shot as she checked on the well being of all the occupants of the house shortly after the attack ended.

"Mi hear an explosion and mi tek mi daughter off the bed because me know seh a gunshot that ... me realise seh the gunshot dem was near, so me get up," she explained.

When she ventured into the room where Kerr and his cousin were asleep, she soon realised that Kerr had been shot in his leg and his cousin grazed.

didn't feel the impact

Interestingly, Kerr had no idea that he was shot as he was asleep and did not feel the impact of the bullet.

"Me seh Sample, yuh no see seh it look like you get gunshot ... so me tell him to take off the pants and when him tek it off,me see the hole inna him foot," Natasha explained.

However, Kerr was not initially convinced as he was in no pain and was sleepy.

"All when me look pon him and a seh you no see seh yuh foot a bleed, him a seh mommy yuh no see nothing no happen to me," Natasha said.

He was taken to the hospital, however, the bullet is yet to be removed.

In the meantime, one of Kerr's coaches, Terrence Gibbs, manager of the Daytona Football Club, lauded Kerr's football talent and expressed optimism that one of his best players will return soon.

"He is a very good footballer, young and good, upcoming and prospective Jamaican footballer ... he is a very experienced player who other clubs want and we hope we can get him back next year," Gibbs told THE STAR.

The Portmore CIB is investigating the shooting.