BB lodged in boy's head after shooting

"He likes to play with the ball, and I do too," Devin says.

But his sport of choice, football, requires a lot more pads.

Doctors, however, want Devin to stick with activities that don't require much physical exertion.

The reason – a BB remains lodged in his head after he was shot April 1.

Leon Hogan Jr. says his son was playing with some other children when they got into an argument and a 9-year-old boy shot him with the gun belonging to a 10-year-old.

"This just ain't right. He's at home – what we call a safe zone," Hogan said. "Some kid out of another neighborhood comes and takes it all away."

The Granville County Sheriff's Office has filed juvenile petitions against the two boys, but detective Bryant Strother said no charges have been filed against the parents. Based on a review of state law, he doesn't expect any to be filed.

State statute prohibits any child under 12 from physically holding a dangerous firearm without parental supervision.

BB guns, as well as air rifles and air pistols, are considered dangerous firearms in only 17 counties, however, and Granville County isn’t one of them.

Hogan believes they should be considered dangerous firearms statewide.

The parents of the boy who authorities say shot Devin could not be reached for comment Thursday.

The mother of the boy who authorities say brought the gun says she apologized for what happened and called it a "freak accident."

She said her son used the BB gun in their back yard but had never before taken it off her property.

As for Devin, doctors tell Hogan that surgery to remove the BB is not an option right now.

"It’s too dangerous," he said. "It could cause too many problems down the road. He could have seizures."

Hogan says it's still unclear how the BB will affect his son's future, and more immediately, whether he will be able to play football again.

"He may not play (football) again, and that's not right," he said.