A 14-year-old boy was shot and killed in a California park while painting over gang graffiti, his horrified family learned through social media.
Benny Gutierrez and some friends were painting over graffiti in El Dorado Park on Monday night when several shots were fired from a car in the parking lot. officials told KTLA.
The 14-year-old boy was hit once and pronounced dead at the scene, but his family told local media they only learned about it six hours later through social media.
“My heart sank because this was my baby,” Benny’s sister, Krista Gutierrez, told KTLA. “The pain was excruciating and unbelievable.”
His mother, Rosalie Guitierrez, a single mother and social worker, said she saw her son an hour before he was killed.
“He was funny, outgoing, affectionate and loved his sisters,” she recalled.
The boy’s family told KTLA that investigators are still gathering evidence, but they believe they know who is responsible.
Benny’s mother shared a message with her son’s killer. “You took a child’s life. He was my world,” she told KTLA.
“He was my baby and I was devoted to him. So if you are listening to this, you will be caught and we will receive justice.”
His family described Benny, who was 5-foot-10 and weighed 200 pounds, as a big teddy bear who played soccer.
“People thought he was a very tough guy on the outside, but on the inside he was just a little kid who was scared of everything,” said his sister Krista.
Friends and family of the slain teenager have gathered at the park every night since then to remember him.
“I know Benny looks big for his age, but he’s still a baby,” said his cousin Cindy Estrada. “He’s just a funny guy. … He’s really family-oriented. He’s not a gangster or anything.”
A GoFundMe set up to raise funds for the funeral of the “larger than life” teen says he was an offensive lineman for the A.V. Colts and “a man of strength, loyalty, and care that he cared for both on and off the field.” “He demonstrated a fierce determination to protect those who were killed.” “
By Thursday, the fundraiser had raised more than $12,000.
No arrests have been made.
