SAN ANTONIO — Instead of celebrating her son’s 15th birthday, a mother was lighting candles and calling for justice Wednesday night.
Samantha Servin is a mom of four. But her only boy was Timothy Chavez.
“At home it’s me and my daughters and him," she said. "He was our comfort.”
On Monday night, that comfort was taken away when her 14-year-old son was gunned down on the street. Servin says someone called her son to let him know they would be pulling up outside.
She warned him about going out at night.
“It came out on video," she said. "It shows him coming out confident, comfortable. Whoever did this, he trusted them. He knew them. It sucks that even after I kept telling him, he stopped going out. He’s not in the streets or nothing; he’s at home. And they still killed him at my house.”
Servin met with a detective Wednesday.
“I told him that not everyone is your friend," she said. "He thought everyone liked him, though. I don’t want people to forget my son. He was barely grown up.”
Servin said she is sick of kids dying by gun violence.
“I don’t understand. These kids, they’re babies and they’re able to get all these guns."
Her son's death comes just weeks after another 14-year-old, Augie Rangel, was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds on the northwest side.
Derek Taylor is one of many people working to prevent these tragedies.
“Of course, there’s going to be some issues in the community but they always don’t have to result in gun violence and that’s what we’re here for," Taylor said.
Taylor helps run Metro Health's violence prevention program, Stand Up SA, a group dedicated to engaging with children and young adults. They try to help resolve conflicts by talking it out rather than resorting to violence.
“What we try to do is expand their circle, make sure they understand the ramifications and how it affects our community," Taylor said.
Their focus is on the east and west sides, but Taylor is aware gun violence is impacting children across San Antonio.
“I don’t want to hear about another mom going through this," Servin said. "The pain is unbearable."
To help the family with funeral expenses for Timothy, you can find the GoFundMe page here.
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