Family: Boy in coma after shooting

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) - Four-year-old Evan Pierce is still fighting for his life, weeks after he was shot with a large-caliber gun in his father's Virginia Beach home.

The boy's family says he is in a medically induced coma because doctors are worried his lungs and kidneys will fail.

Evan's mother, Jessica, and her boyfriend Robert Dovel have been by Evan's bedside at CHKD for weeks.

Dovel tells WAVY.com Evan had to undergo nine surgeries in the first 10 days after the shooting.

Dovel says doctors originally worried about brain damage, but the few times Evan has come to, he has showed good recognition of his surroundings.

"He did look at Jess and say 'Mommy,'" said Dovel. "We have been placing cars in his hands. She said 'You have a Mustang in your hand,' and he lifted it up. When they put him back down he dropped it again."

Nicholas Pierce, the boy's father, was charged with felony child neglect in the Feb. 9 shooting. He bonded out of jail Thursday. A judge ordered Pierce's father cannot have firearms or contact with his son and ex-wife.

Police say the shooting was an accident, but have not said who pulled the trigger.

"This was an instance where somebody was not safe with their firearms," said Dovel, who would not comment further because of the ongoing investigation. Dovel says he believes the shooting was accidental.

Evan's mother's family has set up a website to raise money to cover medical bills. The most recent post on the site is titled 'Spirits are high today.' Evan's mother writes, 'The nurse let me wash his hair and brush his teeth. I can't stop smiling.'

Tropical Smoothie on Fordham Drive in Virginia Beach is holding a fundraiser for Evan March 9 from 4-9 p.m..

WAVY.com could not reach the boy's father for comment Sunday.