Parents of man gunned down on East Side seek justice, forgive killer

San Antonio police are still searching for the suspect and a motive behind the shooting

San Antonio – A San Antonio mother and father are staying faithful that their son’s killer will soon be brought to justice.

Deitric Harrington Junior was gunned down on the East Side on Monday, Jan. 4.

“We were at the house when it happened,” said Shelly Harrington, his mother. “We never got a call. An officer came to our door and said, ‘Your son has been shot.’ We didn’t have any more details because he said it was all under investigation, but we identified his body in the photo the officer showed us. The most information I found out about it was on the news.”

They said their son was a loving man who loved his job working as a cook at IHOP.

“Everybody loved him,” Shelly Harrington said. “Everybody he brought around or anybody who talked about him loved him. It seemed like he didn’t have an enemy in the world.”

Sadly, Harrington Junior came face to face with an unknown enemy the night of his death.

“I lost the only son I had,” Shelly Harrington said through tears. “He was my only child. That was it. I advise anybody who has a child to tell them you love them because you never know when the last time you will see them. The last time that I saw him, he embraced me and hugged me and said, ‘I will see you later.’ I said, ‘Ok.’”

She said since her son’s death, she hasn’t slept because the pain of losing a child is unimaginable.

“We are both hurt,” said Deitric Harrington Senior, his father. “It is something I can’t really explain to you. You would have to go through it yourself for you to realize how we feel.”

San Antonio police said at this time, there are no suspects, no witnesses and no motive.

The family said they are hopeful that all will change soon. They had this to say to the person responsible for their son’s death.

“We forgive them,” Deitric Harrington Senior said. “It is not up to us to judge because we know not the time or the place when it is going to happen to either one of us, but we will tell them he will be judged by God.”

If you have any information that can help with this investigation, you are urged to call police.

RELATED: Man killed in East Side shooting identified


About the Authors:

Japhanie Gray joined 10 News as an anchor in March 2022.