Parents of a 6-year-old girl who was shot to death on Mother’s Day Sunday said they want the state of Texas to issue the death penalty to the alleged murderer.
The devastated couple, Julio Garcia and Kassandra Mendoza spoke with KENS5 in San Antonio, Texas and shared their raw and emotional reaction following the death of their little girl, Saryah Perez.
Parents of Slain 6-Year-Old Girl Want the Death Penalty for Her Alleged Murderer.
“I will take it all the way and make sure they’re all prosecuted for their actions,” Mendoza told the outlet about her daughter’s killer and hope for justice.
“I’m hurt. I’m broken,” Garcia, the victim’s step-father said. “I really want revenge, but I’m doing this the right way.”
The parents and their two children attended a car club meeting on Mother’s Day.
As the family attempted to leave the event, Garcia claimed he got close to a custom car. A group of men beat on his vehicle in response and accused him of causing damage, he said.
Garcia alleged that the group yanked him from the car and hit him bloody. As the family tried to leave once more, police said 23-year-old Andrew Ray Elizondo shot into the family’s car.
Some shrapnel grazed Mendoza, but another bullet struck Saryah in the torso and killed the 6-year-old.
“They took somebody from me – from us,” Mendoza said in an interview with KENS 5. “Her brother cries and asks, ‘Mommy, when my sissy wakes up are we going to go pick her up?’ While they can sit there and have their daughter, I can’t. I’ll never have her again.”
Mendoza says she also wants the other people involved in the fight charged for their crimes.
Garcia wished the fight would have been settled without the use of a firearm. He said that a gun was not made to settle arguments.
“Having a gun is not a joke,” he said. “It’s not a toy.”
Mendoza claimed to know the man who shot her daughter and she plans to attend each and every court hearing open to the public. Her goal is for Elizondo to receive the harshest penalty possible, the death penalty.
“I can never wake up again and get my daughter ready for school,” Mendoza shared. “I can never get up and put her bracelet on her and do her hair and put a big bow in her hair again.”
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It’s hard to imagine the depth of the pain this family is dealing with right now. Mendoza and her family have set up a GoFundMe fundraising campaign to help cover the costs of their daughter’s funeral.
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