SAN ANTONIO – Family and friends of Anthony Coronado, 23, gathered Saturday to remember the man who was shot and killed by a neighbor, police said.
Loved ones also held a barbecue benefit and vigil just two weeks after Coronado was shot and killed by Nathaniel Wesley Word III, 72, in the 1000 block of Piedmont.
"They've been having a rosary all week and things like that, so I just thought, 'Well, let's make a benefit.' It's been hard all week," said close friend Ernesto Valera.
Coronado was shot and killed by Word June 27. Valera said he, Coronado and two other people were in the front yard drinking when Word came outside and told them to move.
When the group did not move, Word went back inside his house, returned with a gun and fired multiple shots, hitting Coronado in the head.
"As a body, you are gone, but spirit is still here. (You) know what I'm saying? It's always going to be here. So I know he's taking care of me now, taking care of everybody, especially his momma," Valera said.
Valera said Coronado's memory will live on through his family and friends.
A makeshift memorial now stands near the area Coronado took his final breath. Valera plans to make it a permanent fixture, a sign of respect, which was the basis of their friendship, he said.
Word (mugshot below) has been charged with murder in Coronado's death.
