leo bernal, 8, is lucky to be alive after an intruder shot him in the head as he lay in bed at his home in culver city, california, over the weekend on friday, five days after the shooting, the 8 year old was released from the hospital with nearly two dozen medical staples holding his scalp together 'my head kinda hurts right now, but i'm ok with it,' the brave boy said as he sat on a bench outside ronald reagan ucla medical center scroll down for video  miracle boy: leo bernal, 8, was released from the hospital friday, five days after he was shot in the head by an armed home intruder in california  scarred: doctors had to open the child's skull to extract the bullet, leaving him with a partially shaved scalp and 23 staples  terror in the night: bullets pierced the wall of the bedroom where the 8 year old and his 17 year old brother were in bed at her home in culver city  his head was partially shaved and marred by two long, stapled incisions speaking to nbc los angeles, leo said he looks forward to playing sports again 'they had to open up his skull and take it out, and now he has 23 staples,' said his mother, teresa bernal police have asked the public's help in finding the gunman who opened fire at around 1155pm sunday inside the boy' home in the del rey neighborhood near venice beach traumatized: teresa bernal, leo's mother, said her son was scared to go back home  the boy had just been put to bed when his father heard the unlocked security door and front door open and thought it was his 20 year old son returning, police said instead, a stranger wearing a hooded sweatshirt entered, exchanged a few words and then began shooting at and chasing the father, according to the family's account bullets pierced the wall of the bedroom where the 8 year old and his 17 year old brother were in bed the father told police he ran into the boy's bedroom and tried to shield him as the gunman followed, still firing 'it was a matter of seconds, just bam! bam! bam!,' leo's mother told the nbc station 'fourteen shots, all pointed into my kid's room' the boy's brother, parents and grandmother escaped unharmed detectives are seeking a motive for the attack meanwhile, leo's mother said leo is scared to go home 'who wants to go back to that? it's like the nightmare,' she said 'my son [has been] crying about going home he doesn't want to go home he's horrified' the hospital offered the family a few free nights at a hotel and a pamphlet for social services, knbc tv reported the family have set up a gofundme account to raise $50,000 towards leo's medical costs
leo bernal 8 culver city california bernal
leo bernal, 8, suffered gunshot wound to the head as he lay in bed in culver city, california . doctors had to open his skull to save his life, leaving him with 23 staples . bernal's mother say her son is not afraid to return home 