SAN ANTONIO – The family and friends of Gloria Rodriguez held a vigil in her honor Saturday, days after she was hit and killed by gunfire intended for someone else.
Rodriguez’s father, Daniel Zapata, spoke out, saying he was with his daughter before she took her last breath.
“I was walking behind them and I just didn’t expect it at all,” said Zapata. “She said ‘I got hit’ and that was the last words I heard her say. They say the bullet went right through her body.”
Police said two men were walking with Rodriguez when 19-year-old John Zimmers pulled up and opened fire on them. One of the men told police he was the intended target.
Zapata said he has yet to go back home because he misses his daughter so much.
“I am going to miss going home and calling her name,” said Zapata. “I haven't been home yet. I can't go inside really. It has been hard for me. I just really hope he gets what he deserves.”
Rodriguez’s grandmother, Julia Zapata, was also present. She said she raised her.
“She was just a really nice person,” said Julia Zapata. “She has lived here most of her life. She had so many friends who loved her. She was always making friends. I just don’t know what I am going to do now. I wish it was me instead of her.”
Some of Rodriguez’s friends remembered her as a great baker who would've spent the holidays doing just that.
“If it wasn’t for this shooting, she would have baked for the holiday,” said one of her friends. “She would just bake all the time because she loved it. She would bake everyone in the neighborhood something. If it was their birthday, she always would bake for anyone.”
The vigil, which sits at the exact spot where she passed away, consists of her picture on a poster, balloons, flowers, candles and stuffed animals, all symbolizing how much Rodriguez will be loved and missed.