Mother of Paralyzed Victim Testifies in Trial of NY Subway Shooter

NEW YORK (AP) _ Her voice soft and her story heartbreaking, the mother of Darrell Cabey recalled Tuesday the day when ``our whole lives were changed″ _ Dec. 22, 1984, when her son was shot by Bernhard Goetz.

At the hospital, the paralyzed Darrell ``didn’t look at all like my son. ... He was so still,″ said Shirley Cabey, a widowed mother of six.

Cabey, 30, was one of four young men Goetz shot on a subway train after they demanded $5. Cabey, who suffered brain damage and is described as having the mental capacity of an 8-year-old, is suing Goetz for $50 million.

Now, Cabey ``basically needs help with everything he does,″ his mother said. He cannot stand or walk, bathe or dress himself. He has no friends and no girlfriend, and spends his free time watching television in their Bronx apartment.

Her son’s recollection of the shooting are mostly questions about why his friend, Troy Canty, had approached Goetz to ask for money, Mrs. Cabey said: ``He kept repeating, `Why did Canty ask that man for $5?‴

Cabey, Canty and two others were shot after Canty’s encounter with Goetz. Goetz is white; the four youths he shot are black. The gunman says he fired to stop a mugging; Cabey’s lawyers say Goetz is a racist who overreacted to panhandling.

Goetz’s attorney did not cross-examine Mrs. Cabey.

Earlier in the day, a neurologist, Claude Macaluso, testified Cabey spent five weeks ``in a persistent vegetative state.″ When he emerged his speech was slurred, his memory was faulty and he was unable to write his own name.

Goetz was acquitted of attempted murder in 1987.

A group founded by the National Rifle Association, the Firearms Civil Rights Legal Defense Fund, contributed $20,000 to Goetz’ defense, the same amount it contributed for his criminal trial.

Chip Walker, an NRA spokesman, said it was one of 78 donations made in the last three years to litigants, adding that it was unlikely Goetz would have any money left over after his legal expenses.