Anthony Borges, 15, shielded classmates during the Parkland school massacre and was shot five times.
Fifteen-year-old Anthony Borges, who took five bullets while trying to protect fellow students during the Parkland shooting rampage, is finally able to go home.
Borges, whose hospital stay was the longest of any of the 17 wounded, was called a hero by local authorities for blocking the door to a classroom filled with students as alleged gunman Nikolas Cruz blasted his way down a hallway with an AR-15 assault rifle.
The massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School unleashed a fury of demonstrators, including Parkland students who traveled to the nation's capital, demanding stricter gun laws for war-style weapons designed to fire a fusillade of rounds in quick succession.
The Feb. 14 attack left 17 dead, and has left a trail of tears and determination among the high school's students, who say they are committed to transforming the carnage they experienced to changing gun laws.
"I feel good," the teenager said as he rested his head on a pillow at home. He had thought he "was going to die," he said in an exclusive interview with the Today show.
A third of one of Borges' lungs had to be removed. One round came extremely close to his liver and three others ripped through his legs. Doctors have said the boy will be able to play his beloved soccer again.
"He's the real deal," said family attorney Alexa Arreaza, who said the family will soon hold a press conference to announce a lawsuit against the school for negligence. The attorney has also said the family intends to sue the Broward County Sheriff's Department for failing to protect students.
A school resource officer resigned after the shootings when surveillance tapes made public by the department showed him outside the building, instead of confronting the shooter inside, while shots rang out.
Borges, who is from Venezuela, moved to Florida with his family three years ago. He was a Boy Scout and is a skilled soccer player, his family said.
A GoFundMe page established to help with the boy's extensive medical bills has raised more than $800,000.
RELATED STORIES
