Lynda Espinoza is living a nightmare nowadays. Her 13-year-old son was fatally shot by a San Antonio police officer and she said it took the police department five days to call her to let her know her teenage child was dead.
The San Antonio native said she first found out that a police officer killed her son, Andre Hernandez Jr., because she pieced together news articles about a police shooting of a teen in her neighborhood around the time her young boy died.
The mom from Texas was emotional when talking to NBC News, saying "I really don't understand what the police are hiding. My son was 13 years old. That's the key. He was a little boy, and he did not deserve to get shot and killed by a police officer."
Espinoza wants to see why police shot her son
Cops finally called the worried mother on Tuesday evening after the media outlet contacted them and she appeared on the local news. They told the victim's mom that they would allow her to view partial police bodycam video of the tragic encounter on Monday morning. She said that she does not know what she is supposed to do when she sees the video, but she wants to see why they shot her son.
What makes Hernandez Jr.'s death even more painful for her is that she had just laid to rest her 16-year-old daughter, Naveah Martinez, two weeks earlier. The teen girl was found shot to death on May 10 in a stolen vehicle near the family's home.
The most recent tragedy for the family happened around 1:20 a.m. on Friday, when Andre was killed by the police. Texas cops allege that a youth intentionally slammed a stolen vehicle into a police car, causing a police officer to shoot into the car to stop him from striking again. She told KSAT that Hernandez was no angel but he did not deserve to be killed.
San Antonio Police Capt. Jesse Salame told reporters on Friday that officers were responding to gunfire in the area when they spotted a red vehicle that matched the description of a car seen by the shooting. According to Salame, when police approached the vehicle, driven by Andre and carrying two other teenagers, he threw it into reverse and struck another patrol car behind him.
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Hernandez taken to nearby hospital where he died
Fearing that officers would be struck again, a police officer from the first patrol car fired once into the fleeing vehicle, killing the boy in the process. Cops said the youth stepped out of the car to surrender after he was shot. Police added that Hernandez Jr. was treated by paramedics and taken to a nearby hospital, where he later died, according to KVUE.
Police also said that the officer involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative duty until further notice. No other officers or passengers in the car were injured. According to San Antonio police, they have not publicly identified the victim because they are prohibited by law in releasing the suspect's name, and any video/reports associated with this suspect/incident because of his age.
