‘You messed up my son’s life’: Mother of teen shot in face speaks out after suspect charged with aggravated assault

Damian Cantu, 22, charged in shooting of 13-year-old Elasies Perez on Rayburn Drive

SAN ANTONIO – A San Antonio mother is speaking out weeks after her 13-year-old son was shot in the face.

Jacquelynn Mendez-Perez said her son, Elasies, was staying with her sister on the night of Nov. 13 when he was shot under his right eye.

“My son was perfectly healthy, and now I’m having to worry if he’s going to have trouble later on or if he’s going to fully recover,” said Mendez-Perez.

Elasies suffered several injuries and continues to lose blood, his mother said. He also has not been able to swallow or eat.

“He may stay blind from one side. There’s no telling. He still has a lot of blood in the back of his eyes,” said Mendez-Perez.

An arrest affidavit showed the man charged in the shooting is 22-year-old Damian Cantu.

Investigators said Cantu pointed a gun in Elasies’s direction multiple times that night and kept unloading and loading the weapon.

A witness told police Cantu later opened fire and shot Elasies in the face before he ran from the scene.

Mendez-Perez said her son does not remember much from the evening except that “he was just sitting, drinking a soda, looking at TV, and he (Cantu) was in front of him sitting down.”

“He starts crying and saying, ‘Why do I have to go through this? I didn’t do nothing to him. I was always nice to him,’” said Mendez-Perez.

The affidavit stated that Cantu was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

Mendez-Perez said she’s taken some comfort in knowing Cantu is off the streets for now but wants her son to get his life back as her family struggles to stay afloat. They have started raising money on the crowdfunding site GoFundMe.

“You messed up my son’s life. He was a perfectly healthy kid, and he’s always helpful with everybody,” said Mendez-Perez. “We just have to keep strong. It’s been hard for all of us -- my husband, my kids, and we’ve just been going through so much.”


About the Authors:

RJ Marquez is the traffic anchor/reporter for KSAT’s Good Morning San Antonio. He also fills in as a news anchor and has covered stories from breaking news and Fiesta to Spurs championships and high school sports. RJ started at KSAT in 2010. He is proud to serve our viewers and be a part of the culture and community that makes San Antonio great.