SAN ANTONIO – An East Side street corner is covered in candles to remember 19-year-old Jordan Bocanegra.
“I knew in my heart that he was gone,” Tanya Bocanegra, his mom, said. “I still keep thinking I’m gonna wake up from this dream.”
Jordan’s family said he was the person shot and killed Sunday morning on East Commerce Street.
On Wednesday morning, the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Jordan Eli Bocanegra.
Bocanegra’s cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head. The manner of death is being investigated as a homicide, according to the ME.
San Antonio police arrested a suspect in the case, but Jordan’s family says that hasn’t made the loss any easier.
“He had a lot to give,” Jordan’s cousin, Ashley Martinez, said. “He was a very loving, caring, respectful young man.”
The shooting happened before 11 a.m. on Sunday. Jordan’s family said he was getting gas near North Gevers Street and East Commerce Street.
Jordan was about to head home to Hondo. However, before he could, SAPD said he was shot inside his car. The family told KSAT that he drove about a block before crashing near South Polaris Street and East Commerce Street.
That’s where his memorial is growing. Sunday afternoon, family and friends laid out candles, roses and balloons.
“He’s not here physically, but he’s here spiritually,” Martinez said. “With that, I feel like it’s helping us.”
Hours after the shooting, SAPD said it tracked the suspect, identified as Mark Criollo, to a house on Potomac Street. After a 12-hour standoff, the 29-year-old man was taken into custody, police said. Now, he’s in jail and facing a murder charge.
Tanya Bocanegra said her family used to live next door to Criollo and had problems with his family for years.
“My kids were kids and he was a man,” she said. “I don’t even have words, just 14 years of ongoing drama with him.”
Jordan’s family said they’ll always remember him for his heart and his humor.
They’re planning to hold a balloon release for him on Wednesday night around 6 p.m. at the site of the crash.
His family is currently fundraising for a funeral.
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