Losing someone you love is one of the hardest things that a person can possibly go through. It is even worse in some cases when the person was killed by someone else’s action. Lourdes Guzman-DeJesus was only 13 when she was shot and killed on the school bus by her classmate, Jordyn Howe. It was an accident; he had brought his stepfather’s gun onto the bus and accidentally discharged it when he was showing it to the other kids. The bullet ended up hitting Lourdes in the neck and killing her.
He pled guilty to manslaughter with a deadly weapon, as well as other more minor crimes.
Two years later, Lourdes’ mother, Ady Guzman-DeJesus went up to Jordyn in court and hugged him. Most people would see this as unbelievable, but it did happen. As if this was not enough, she offered him a plea deal in lieu of life in prison. She had originally wanted a harsher punishment for him, but she changed her mind. She realized that Jordyn was only a child when he did what he did, and it was an accident. As such, she wanted him to only spend a short amount of time in rehab and then travel with her to lecture people about gun safety.
Obviously Ady’s actions are amazing and show her strength and courage in the wake of a horrible situation. Her forgiveness of this young man is amazing, and she is honoring her daughter’s memory by educating people about gun safety.