SAN ANTONIO – H. Bazan is still in shock about the devastating news he received Monday from his ex-wife about his only daughter.
Janice Bazan, 16, was shot and killed inside a home in the 3900 block of Southwest Military Drive, police said.
"I can't believe she's gone," Bazan said of his daughter, who loved being around cars.
The girl's 19-year-old boyfriend, Brayant Isaac Gomez Olvera, took her to a hospital after she was shot, police said. Olvera was arrested and charged with tampering with evidence in connection to the case.
According to police, Olvera told them he had seen his girlfriend was playing with a black handgun earlier in the night and later heard a gunshot from her room, while he was in the kitchen. Police said they have yet to find the gun.
"My daughter won't. She's not a suicide. I'm putting the puzzle together myself, as a dad," Bazan said.
Monday was not the first time that Janice Bazan had been shot, her father said.
"She was at a party and she was defending her boyfriend and somebody shot her. She lost her finger," Bazan said about a shooting that happened about a month ago.
As the teen's family waits for answers from the investigation, they reflect on the loss of a shining spirit.
Bazan said his daughter loved to be around cars and he was in the process of making a custom car for her in her favorite colors. Even though she'll never get to drive, Bazan is going to finish the project in her memory.
It's one way Bazan said he will remember his daughter fondly, although he knows some dark moments lie ahead.
"I'm afraid to see the coffin, to see my baby girl in a box," Bazan said.
No funeral arrangements have been made, but the Bazan family is hoping to raise enough money to cover funeral expenses during a plate sale Saturday at 11 a.m. at 2118 West Southcross Blvd.
