Former NMSU Basketball Player Paralyzed After Shooting

A former NMSU men's basketball player is paralyzed from the waist down after a shooting in Chicago. Shawn Harrington was driving his 14-year old daughter to school and was stopped at a stoplight when several people walked up to his car and began shooting. Harrington immediately leaned over to the passenger side and shielded his daughter from the gunfire. His act of heroism saved his daughter's life; she was unhurt, but police did find a bullet lodged in the headrest where she was sitting. However, Harrington's injuries from the shooting left him paralyzed from the waist down. Ironically, Harrington's mother was killed during a home invasion at a neighbor's house 11 years ago.

Harrington was once featured in the 1994 basketball documentary "Hoop Dreams" and he played for head coach Neil McCarthy and the Aggies in 1995 and 1996. Since then, the Chicago native returned home to the city's west side and was an assistant basketball coach at Marshall Metro High School, where he starred 20 years ago. Shawn has health insurance, but that won’t cover everything – like retooling his home and car to make them wheelchair accessible. A fundraiser has been set for Saturday, March 1, at Marshall High School. The “Shawn Harrington Recovery Fund” has been set up at the Fifth Third Bank in Chicago. Any of their branches will accept a walk-in deposit. Or a check to the “Shawn Harrington Recovery Fund” can be mailed to:

Fifth Third Bank
2710 N Narragansett Ave
Chicago, IL 60639
(773) 385-6050