CSI in the News October 2011 - CSI Today

een a guy that we'd be still talking about today," Laino said. "Here was a guy who never played footballbefore high school....He was going to be one of the biggest recruits that New York City had in a very longtime."Instead, his right leg, riddled with bullets, was amputated. His football career was over. Sitting in thehospital after the shooting, Williams struggled to figure out what to do next. What would he do with hislife? Who would he become?"Sometimes I would wake up and see Coach Laino and his son (Frank) just standing there," Williams said."Other times I would wake up and see Coach (Daniel) Perez and other players there. They were alwaysthere for support."In that regard, not much has changed. For the past two summers, coaches and alumni have held "ChrisWilliams Beach Day," an idea hatched when Williams told Laino that he had yet to set foot on a beachsince the shooting.Wearing a life vest, Williams now swims for hours on end in the waters near Laino's beach front home inthe Rockaways."If it was up to him, he would swim to Europe," Laino said.To this day, Williams wonders why they go out of their way. He may not consider himself a hero, butothers do.Williams volunteers with the Faces Maimonides Theater Group, a program in which teenagers performscenes about abusive relationships, bullying and other adolescent issues. He recently wrote andperformed a monologue about his experience getting shot."He's an incredibly talented actor," said Susan Montez, the group's director. "He's so willing to bevulnerable and real in front of people, and that's such a gift. I've seen him bring people to tears with hisperformances. He inspires people."Page 136 of 154