SAN JOSE, Calif -- The parents of a 12-year-old San Jose boy who was shot in the head as he was trick or treating on Halloween night cried on Monday as they talked about their hopes for their son's recovery and their worries about the future.

The sixth grader's parents said they're struggling to make ends meet, but they said there are glimmers of hope as the boy is slowly improving after three weeks in the hospital.

The boy's mother said she still can't believe this tragedy has happened to her family.

Investigators said the boy and a 13-year-old friend were the victims of an unprovoked attack by gang members on Halloween.

Police arrested teenagers Eduardo Cristobal, Hugo Torres, Diego Gutierrez, and Erik Diaz. Officers said the four suspects mistook the two middle school boys for rival gang members and that more gang members may have been involved.

The boy's father said the family came from Mexico six years ago because they were having trouble making ends meet there.

"We came here to seek a better life and we were dealt with this unfortunate set of circumstances," he said.

The parents described their son as a happy boy who likes soccer and earned A's and B's in school. They said their son was always talkative, but since the attack has been unable to speak.

The boy's mother said she believes there will be justice in the case "because God is good."

Longtime San Jose police detective Sgt. Mike Brown appeared deeply touched as he told KTVU the boy's condition has been upgraded to stable.

"They worked a miracle. I'm sorry that I can't bring up the facility he's at for security reasons, but I've never seen anything like it," Brown said.

The police officers' association has set up a fund to help the parents pay the boy's medical bills. The father is an unemployed construction worker. The mother works as a janitor to support their five children.

The boy's mother said her only hope is that her son recovers and is the same child he was before he was attacked.