SAN ANTONIO – When Lori Rocha arrived Sunday afternoon at the corner of Huebner and Lockhill Selma Roads, she said strangers left flowers where her son, Aaron, was shot and killed seven years ago.
“That really brought a little bit of peace,” Rocha said. “I got a real peaceful presence for a second because it’s not a peaceful day.”
On Nov. 26, 2016, according to police, Gilbert Aaron Rocha was shot and killed in a road rage incident on Huebner Road near Northwest Military Drive around 2:30 a.m.
Police said Rocha was in the backseat of a blue Ford Explorer traveling westbound when the passenger of a second vehicle fired multiple shots, hitting both him and the driver.
“When this happened, I lost everything,” Lori Rocha said. “I miss being able to do things together. We never will.”
Every year on Nov. 26, his mother holds a call to action at that corner, hoping people driving by will have information to help the investigation. This year, it aligned with what TxDOT calls one of the busiest travel days of the year with the end of Thanksgiving weekend.
The Texas Department of Transportation posted on Facebook that congestion in San Antonio along I-10 would be the busiest on Sunday between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Safety advocates, like Randolph Singleterry, said it’s the responsibility of all drivers to stay aware and practice safety during the holiday travel season.
“You have to watch out,” Singleterry said. “If we all slowed down, it took that time. We would probably experience less accidents and therefore less congestion.”
Singleterry said he is a rider coach with the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. He said for motorcyclists, having protective gear and practicing safe skills should be a top priority.
He said for all drivers, driving without distraction, driving without impairment and keeping an eye out for debris can be helpful any day.
“You have to take your safety into your hands and you have to make the choices,” Singleterry said.
TxDOT’s “Drive Sober. No Regrets” campaign runs now through January. It overlaps the “heightened law enforcement period” from Dec. 16 through Jan. 1. That’s when more officers are out on the road looking for drunk drivers.
While TxDOT reports holiday traffic should mostly wrap up by the end of Sunday night, Rocha is still searching for answers in the death of her son.
“I’m not going to stop,” Rocha said. “Imagine that being your child. You would want someone to come forward.”
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call Crime Stoppers at (210) 224-STO
