El Paso shooting: Students pay tribute to big hearted 15-year-old Javier Rodriguez: 'He loved to play soccer'

Family says teenager made eye contact with gunman

Javier Rodriquez liked his school and he loved his family. He was also passionate about soccer, and he was a skilful striker.

This week, his family, his classmates and his soccer coaches celebrated the life of the teenager, who was among the 22 people to be murdered in the Walmart mass shooting.

On the sports field of Horizon High School, 20 miles east of El Paso, looking out to the mountains, his classmates and teachers shared memories, sang songs and sought to imbue his life with meaning, days after it was snatched from him.

“We are not going to left darkness define us,” said Juan Martinez, superintendent of the Clint Independent School District, to which Horizon belongs. “Stop taking our children. We have our differences, but there are other ways – not with hate. No more children.”

As students and parents sat in the aluminium stands of the stadium, many of them gently crying, the school band played sombre music. The band contained eight trombones, and they flashed in the stadium lights that had been switched on.

Local media said the teenager had gone to the store on Saturday morning with an uncle, who also suffered an gunshot injury. One of Javier’s cousins, Valeria Chavez, told Fox14 News her family could not find him at the reunification centre and instantly went on social media to ask the community for help. They were then notified by officials he had been killed.

She said she had spoken to her uncle who had described what happened.

“He told me my cousin had made eye contact with the shooter and they were in the bank and as soon as the shooter walked in, he grabbed my cousin, he says he saw the shooter shoot him,” she said.

In the aftermath of the attack, a 21-year-old male was detained and charged with a variety of crimes, in what the authorities say is a case of domestic terrorism.

Members of the high school American football wiped away tears as they spoke about the killing of their colleague. Some of them knew Javier better than others.

One young man, Carlos Terran, 16, said Javier would travel on the same school bus as him. “He was always smiling. He would cheer me,” he said.

All expressed shock that the horror could unfold at a place such as Walmart. “It’s about the community coming tougher to be strong about it, said the 16-year-old. “It’s not about how we fall, its about how we come back.”

Hundreds of people turned out to celebrate the teenager’s life (Andrew Buncombe ) (Andrew Buncombe)

Juan Ferreira, one of the sports coaches, said he had worked with Javier for several years. He had great ball control as a soccer player, and always tried to pass to other members of this team to make them feel included.

Soccer coach Hugo Gines, said Javier was a young man who was easily coached, an indicator that he could look forward to a successful future as a student, he said.

“He’s just everything you look for in a student,” he said.

Mr Ferreira said it would be tough preparing for the new term. “Like I said, all the boys had remarkable skills,” he said. “But he was a very talented kid.”

Priscilla Lujan, 16, said she had studied biology with Javier. He was frequently on his phone, she said, but he was always there to cheer her up if she needed it.

“I’m not going to be able to talk to him,” she said, her voice almost a whisper. “He’s gone.”