SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio teenager who was shot by a former San Antonio police officer last month is no longer on life support after undergoing an extensive surgery, according to his family.
Erik Cantu Jr.’s family shared an update about his condition with KSAT on Friday night.
“Erik is no longer on life support; however, he still is receiving high-flow oxygen via tracheostomy. Open decortication, a surgical procedure to peel away the scar peel that formed on the lung so it can re-expand, was performed on Wednesday,” his mother, Victoria Casarez, said. “Erik tolerated the surgery very well.”
Cantu, 17, sustained injuries to his stomach, diaphragm, lungs, liver, bicep and forearm after he was shot in a McDonald’s parking lot on Oct. 2 by SAPD officer James Brennand.
Brennand was fired from SAPD and is charged with two counts of aggravated assault by a public servant, a first-degree felony. Cantu’s parents are calling for him to be charged with two counts of attempted murder.
However, Brennand has already been given the highest charge possible for the shooting — aggravated assault by a public servant, which is a first-degree felony punishable by up to 5-99 years in prison. Those charges could be elevated to murder if the teenager succumbs to his injuries.
According to previous KSAT reports, Brennand turned himself in at the Bexar County Jail but was released a day later on a $200,000 bond.
A hearing for Brennand is set for Nov. 23.