Popular football coach paralyzed by stray bullet gets halftime surprise from Surprise Squad

FERUGSON, Mo. (KMOV) - A popular teacher and coach was hit by a stray bullet in February, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down.

Todd Shelton, a coach at McCluer South-Berkeley High School, was driving through Berkeley when bullets ripped through his car and hit him near his spine. His injuries caused him to crash his car into a light pole near Washington Road, right across from City Hall.

St. Louis County detectives believe Shelton’s car was targeted in a case of mistaken identity. The shooter remains on the loose.

“From what I was told, I was resuscitated twice, and I woke up in a hospital,” Shelton said.

Shelton spent seven weeks rehabilitating at a Chicago hospital. The shooting left him paralyzed from the neck down.

Shelton graduated from McCluer South-Berkeley High School and has been a coach at the school for seven years. After he was paralyzed, he continued mentoring teens at the school.

“I still have the motivation to go back and help kids in this neighborhood. They go through a lot, it’s tough for them,” said Shelton.

Recently, the KMOV Surprise Squad invited Shelton and his family to a halftime show at their school’s next home game. What they didn’t know is that we had a few surprised up our sleeve.

If you’d like to help the Shelton family, visit their GoFundMe here.

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