SAN ANTONIO — A soon-to-be East Central High School sophomore is in the Intensive Care Unit following a shootout at a party over the weekend.
Witnesses told police they saw 15-year-old Elden Balderas thrown into the street and left for dead after he was shot.
KENS 5 obtained new video of the gunfire showing the chaos when shots rang out off Carmel Place, across Blanco Road from Edison High School.
Neighbors who live off Carmel Place say it was pure pandemonium in the street early Sunday. They heard yelling and witnessed teenagers up and down the street trying to get to the house party.
Just before 2:30 a.m. is when the gunfire began. One neighbor told us he's sure he heard a semi-automatic weapon.
"If you're a teen and you want to go out and party, you think it's cool, you wanna go drink and smoke -- It's not cool. Trust me. You don't want to end up in a situation like I am and end up with your friend getting shot," said Gabriel Chavarria, a friend of Balderas, who accompanied him to the party.
Witnesses say the party started at around 2 a.m. Neighbors add, within minutes, they saw what looked like 100 people trying to get in the home.
"We weren't thinking. We weren't where we should have been," said Chavarria.
Chavarria, Balderas, and another friend, Adrian Ayala, went to the party together Sunday. Chavarria said they hopped around afterparties following a quinceañera Saturday evening.
Now, Balderas is in the ICU, following the afterparty that resulted in a shootout from both ends of a residential street.
"[Elden] is a person you wanna be around. He lifts y'all up. He makes you smile. He makes you feel good about yourself. He's a person you want to have in your circle," said Chavarria.
San Antonio police say witnesses saw Balderas hop into the bed of a white truck when multiple people inside the truck started firing shots in the air. Moments later, police say someone at the opposite end of Carmel Place near the party started shooting in the truck's direction.
Bullets went flying back and forth, shattering neighbors' house and car windows, piercing bedroom walls and garage doors.
Balderas was shot in the back of the head. A witness reported seeing the white truck drive around the corner, then dump his body in the street.
"Dumped him out on the corner like it was trash day. Left him there to die," said Erik Balderas, Elden's father.
Erik is hoping parents will take an extra step to confirm where their children are when they're out.
He said he believed his son when he said he got to a friend's house safely Saturday night.
"They're always one step ahead of us, this generation. It's always best to do your homework," said Erik. "Do live calls, make sure they are where they say they are."
Police detectives talked to the homeowner who hosted the party, who said he threw the celebration for his step-daughter and only expected a few friends to show up. The homeowner said he believes a post on social media attracted so many people.
The police report noted, "[The homeowner] said he could not hear due to his AC unit being loud."
Now, the Balderas Family is taking things day by day. They visit Elden in the hospital regularly, and rely on their faith, saying God is in control.
"He's 15 years old, 6'3" and 293 pounds. He was a big prospect in San Antonio for football," Erik said about Elden, who is an offensive guard on his football team. "Just one afterparty, all that was taken away from him...His outcome is in God's hands."
On the southeast side Wednesday afternoon, an army of supporters sold water and Gatorade to raise money for the Balderas Family.
"We're out here in support against gun violence," said Victoria Vasquez, a parent who considers Balderas another son. "They were in the wrong place at the wrong time, honestly with people they didn't know."
Another person from the party was rushed to the hospital after getting shot in the foot.
As of Wednesday night, Balderas remains in critical condition.
Police say the suspects were driving a truck that looks like a white four-door Dodge Ram.
If you have any information on this case, call San Antonio police.