Mother forgives man headed to prison for shooting her 13-year-old son: ‘How are you able to sleep?’

A Birmingham man is heading to prison after pleading guilty to a 2024 shooting that left a 13-year-old Jefferson County boy critically injured.

The Plea and Sentencing

Mondricus Edmond Cooks, 37, was originally charged with five counts of attempted murder and shooting into an occupied vehicle. However, as his trial was set to begin Monday before Jefferson County Bessemer Cutoff Circuit Judge David Carpenter, Cooks entered a guilty plea for one count of attempted murder and one count of discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle.

The remaining four attempted murder charges were dropped as part of the plea agreement. Cooks was sentenced to 20 years in prison for each of the two counts, with the sentences to be served concurrently.

A Mother's Struggle for Answers

Following the sentencing, the victim's mother, Shalanda Lawrence, shared her complex emotions regarding the case. Her son, Corey Young, who was a student at Fultondale Elementary School at the time of the incident, has since shown incredible resilience. While Lawrence stated that she chooses to forgive Cooks, she remains haunted by the actions that nearly claimed her son's life.

"How can it be explained that you shot a child? How are you able to sleep at night knowing you shot two people?" Lawrence asked. She described the resolution as a "bittersweet moment," noting that while the sentencing provides a measure of closure, the situation remains jarring because Cooks was not a stranger to her family.

Recounting the Incident

The shooting occurred around 11 p.m. on March 30, 2024, near the 500 block of B Y Williams Sr. Dr. in Midfield. The family was returning home from a fun outing at Urban Air Trampoline and Adventure Park in Homewood and a stop at McDonald’s when the violence erupted.

Lawrence recalled the chaos as they crossed the railroad tracks near Midfield High School. According to her testimony, Cooks pulled alongside their vehicle and opened fire. Thinking initially that the shots were aimed into the air, the reality quickly set in when Corey told his mother he had been hit. The boy collapsed in the vehicle, and the family rushed him to Princeton Baptist Medical Center, where medical staff worked to stabilize his critical injuries.

Recovery and Moving Forward

Corey suffered severe trauma, including six broken ribs and internal damage to his liver and colon. He was later transported to Children’s of Alabama, where he underwent a three-hour surgery to address his injuries. Despite the gravity of the incident—which Lawrence attributed to a years-long feud with the shooter—Corey has shown remarkable strength in his recovery.

As Cooks begins his prison sentence, Lawrence expressed a final hope for his transformation: "May God guide you to the right path as you go through this journey."