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Northeast Philadelphia Shooting Victim Slowly Recovering

By Oren Liebermann

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Kevin Neary has had every reason to stop smiling, but the joy of the 29-year-old has never left him.

"His smile is great," says his father, Joe Neary. "He has the best smile."

Neary was moved to Magee Rehabilitation Center Friday morning, a month after a bullet to the neck paralyzed the UPenn graduate. Neary was walking home on North Bodine Street when an attempted robbery turned into a shooting.

"He's had some down moments, but his spirit bounces back pretty quick," says his brother, Joe Neary. "So it's good for him and we just need to be strong for him."

The suspect, Christopher Easter, 20, was in court for his preliminary hearing Friday morning. He will face charges for the attempted murder of Kevin Neary.

"He's still going to be a quadriplegic," says his father. "Nothing is going to change that, but he has a very, very positive attitude, and he will succeed."

Kevin is only able to say a few words at a time, three or four words at most. But his family says hearing him say those words makes everybody smile.

"He knows that people have been reaching out to him and he wants to live a normal life as much as possible," his brother says.

Kevin's family relies on the optimism of a young man whose life will never be the same. It is an optimism everyone shares, both for Kevin's recovery and for Christopher Easter being brought to justice.

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