CHRISTOPHER RODRIGUEZ was making music the day his world was changed forever.

Now, others are gathering to make music in support of the young Oakland resident. The goal again is to change his world — this time for the better.

Rodriguez's case — a tragic example of the many innocents harmed by gun violence each year in the United States — is well documented. The drama began in January 2008 as the boy, then a fifth-grader, was in the midst of a piano lesson. Across the street, a man allegedly was using a gun to rob a gas station. Shots were fired, and one stray bullet severely wounded Rodriguez.

As a result, Rodriguez is paralyzed from the waist down and might never walk again.