Dakotah Earley shooting: Robbery victim's mom says she wants gunman 'behind bars for a long time'

CHICAGO - The mother of a young man shot in Lincoln Park says she's awed by his fighting spirit, as well as his bravery in helping catch the alleged gunman.

Just over a week after he was was shot three times during a robbery near the DePaul University campus, prosecutors say Dakotah Earley helped identify his attacker.

"When I told him that they caught someone and that person was in jail, he wrote down ‘good,’" said Earley’s mother, Joy Dobbs. "I don't know what he was thinking or how he was feeling when he pointed them out. I mean, it takes a lot of bravery."

Now, 19-year-old Tyshon Brownlee is charged with attempted murder in connection to the shooting, as well as a string of robberies.

"I want him behind bars for a long time for what he did to my son. And there's part of me that doesn't know if that's good enough," said Dobbs.

Dobbs says her 23-year-old son can now sit up, but there are worries about his kidneys — plus he may need more of his leg amputated to get a prosthetic.

"It's like somebody took a piece of me, too. And that's hard to deal with. I looked at him and I just see, honestly, the graciousness of God like it's just an awesome thing to watch because he should have been dead," Dobbs said through tears, remembering how doctors thought Earley wouldn't survive the first 48 hours after the shooting.

But Dobbs says her son is a fighter. He now communicates through writing, since his jaw is wired shut.

"He wrote down 'I'm sorry'. And I said, sorry for what? The accident? And I said, this isn't your fault," Dobbs said.

There are reports police saw the suspect in a stolen car an hour before Earley was shot, but did not give chase. Dobbs says she can't focus on that.

"I'm just so glad that Dakotah is here and that's the most important thing," she said.

Dobbs is trying to stay strong for her son, and his long recovery ahead.