Bullet Fells a Youth and His Dreams : Violence: Sheriff’s Explorer hit in Hawthorne gang shooting probably was not the intended target, officials say. The paralyzed victim was an aspiring athlete and police officer. : Gang Bullet Paralyzes Youth and His Quest for a Lawman’s Career

When he applied to be a volunteer with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Martin Hernandez said this about gangs: “I dislike the gangs. I would like to do something about it so they can find out that’s not the only life you could live, that there’s a better lifestyle.”

Now, the 18-year-old Sheriff’s Explorer and aspiring baseball player and police officer lies in a hospital bed, paralyzed from the waist down by a bullet fired by a suspected gang member.

On Friday, Hernandez, of Inglewood, was standing with a group of friends outside a party in Hawthorne when shots rang out.

A bullet pierced Hernandez’s chest, just missed his heart and lodged in his spine. Another 18-year-old was hit in the leg and is recovering.

“They were random victims,” said Hawthorne Police Chief Steve Port, adding that neither Hernandez nor his friends were gang members. Police believe the suspects shot at someone else in the crowd, but they would not elaborate. They said witnesses provided information that leads them to believe the suspects are gang members.

The irony of Hernandez being gunned down by the gang violence he abhorred was not lost on his friends and family members.

“He was caught in the violence and it just shows it can happen to anybody, even someone who wanted to be a police officer,” said Alberto Hernandez, 25, Martin’s older brother.

The shooting has further demoralized some police officers, who witness the impact of violence day in and day out.

“I have been a cop for 30 years and I have spent a lot of time on homicide and I can tell you this is a sad one,” said Capt. Jack Scully, commander of the Lennox sheriff’s station, where Hernandez was an Explorer.

Doctors are uncertain if Hernandez will be able to walk again. The news has shattered family members, who watched him work hard at baseball in hopes it could be a ticket to his higher education.

Hernandez, a B student who took advanced classes, had made contact with several colleges about obtaining a baseball scholarship, Alberto Hernandez said, but he had not heard anything yet.

A senior at Leuzinger High School, he played varsity baseball his freshman year. He did not play last year because of a disagreement with the coach, but he planned to return to the varsity squad for the upcoming season, said Steve Carnes, the school’s athletic administrator.

The shooting was especially painful for Hernandez’s parents, Antonio and Maria, who have coped with the deaths of five children from natural causes.

Now six remain. Martin was the last of their children born in Mexico before Antonio Hernandez left in 1977 to seek a better life.

He sent money back to his family until they rejoined him four years later in Inglewood. Family members said they heard about gang violence in their neighborhood and got angry at all the vandalism, but they did not believe that crime one day would touch them.

“We are most interested in if he can walk again,” Antonio Hernandez said softly in an interview. “He had so much ability and now he can’t walk. It is hard on us.”

The family also is worried that they may not have the money to pay medical bills.

The family believes health insurance Martin Hernandez had from a former job will be in effect until the end of the month, but they are uncertain about what will happen after that. Antonio Hernandez, a cook’s helper at a small restaurant, does not have insurance and his wife does not work, staying home to care for their 11-year-old daughter.

The Sheriff’s Relief Foundation is accepting donations on the family’s behalf. Its address is 11515 S. Colima Road, Whittier, Calif. 90604.

Account No. 287.

Martin Hernandez divided his time between the Explorers, school, his job at a fitness club, and his family, tutoring his 11-year-old sister. She will not go to the hospital to visit him, too distraught at seeing her brother confined to a bed, Antonio Hernandez said.

Martin Hernandez, who pitched and played outfield, almost equally well, dreamed of playing baseball in the major leagues, but he realized that few athletes reach that goal.

So, fed up with gang vandalism and violence in his neighborhood, he decided to set his sights on becoming a police officer, family members said. His first step was to join the Explorers, civilian volunteers age 16 to 21 who help police with crowd and traffic control and community meetings.

“He is just really enthusiastic about the group,” said Deputy Valerie Aguilar, who coordinates the program at the Lennox station. “I think he just liked the experience he was getting and all the activities he was allowed to work in.”

“He just wanted to be a good apoliceman,” his father said. “He thought he could be of service because he is bilingual and he didn’t like all of the things that were going on.”

In the hospital, young Hernandez seemed more concerned with how his family was coping than with his condition. Doctors have told the family not to discuss the incident with him, fearing the stress could impede his recovery.

They have not removed the bullet because the procedure could cause further damage, and they say it is too early to determine if he will walk again, much less play baseball, Alberto Hernandez said.

Anyone with information about the crime is asked to call Hawthorne detectives at (310) 970-7919.