‘That’s his character’: Family, friends hold prayer circle for hospitalized Tuscumbia teen

TUSCUMBIA, Ala. (WAFF) - A group of Deshler students gathered today to pray for a Tuscumbia teenager injured in a bizarre, accidental shooting.

A friend accidentally shot a pellet at Brendon Simbeck one week ago on Thursday and that pellet went through the teen’s eye and into his brain.

The neurology team signed off on Simbeck having eye surgery Thursday to try and fix what the pellet tore through.

They are also very hopeful that he will be able to breathe on his own soon after he is put back on a ventilator.

“He’s perfect,” Miranda McIver said about Brendon. “Caring and kind and very protective.”

From Brendon’s siblings Aleigha and Brayson Simbeck to his very best friends Boston Knalls and Annabeth McIver, Brendon Simbeck is missed.

“His laugh is contagious,” Aleigha Simbeck added.

Several people gathered on Thursday to hold a prayer circle for Brendon while he undergoes eye surgery.

“Yeah, he’s just a good friend,” Boston Knalls said.

Brendon has been in a medically induced coma since July 4th.

His sister Aleigha Simbeck is begging the community to do better after seeing what her brother has been through.

“Stop letting y’all kids have guns,” Aleigha Simbeck said. “And if you are going to let them have a gun, at least teach them gun safety.”

They are very hopeful and have said that it appears he is slowly getting better.

“I’m going to spend as much time with him as possible,” Annabeth McIver said.

All his friends and family can’t wait to have him back in Tuscumbia.

“I miss playing basketball with him at the church,” Brendon’s brother Brayson Simbeck said. “I miss playing the game with him. I miss playing baseball with him.”

A family friend, Miranda McIver said this is a community like no other.

“One of his travel ball friends had a birthday and he got close to $400 in gifts and they drove that down there to him today to give to him,” McIver said. “To give to his family. That’s the kind of character he has for his friends to do that. And the kind of character that the friends have. We love Deshler.”

They added that they can’t wait to wrap him in a hug during a huge homecoming.

The family is asking for prayers right now and donations to help with the hospital bills, those can be dropped off at Deshler Middle School.

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