Grandmother of 6-Year-Old Gilroy Garlic Festival Shooting Victim Demands 'Justice' for Grandson
On Sunday, July 28, 6-year-old Steven Romero went to the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California with his mother and grandmother.
Tragically, it would be the last event of the child’s life, as Steven was shot and killed when a gunman opened fire during the festival.
Steven’s mother and grandmother were also shot, but are expected to survive their injuries, KNTV reported.
Steven had just celebrated his sixth birthday in June and was preparing to start first grade in the fall.
6 year old Steven Romero of San Jose is one of the 3 victims killed in the Gilroy Garlic Festival Shooting. RIP ?? @nbcbayarea https://t.co/anfqNSVs3p pic.twitter.com/ioE5fDagj7
— Janelle Wang (@janellewang) July 29, 2019
Steven’s family members are devastated by the loss of the boy described by his father as “always happy and always wanting to have fun.”
Maribel Romero, Steven’s grandmother who was not with him at the festival, told KABC-TV that she drove from hospital to hospital, frantically searching for her grandson after learning he had been shot.
By the time she found Steven, he was already dead.
“It has to be someone really sick,” Maribel Romero said of the shooter. “Because shooting a kid — it’s a family event.”
According to NBC, the gunman killed three people and injured 15 before police shot and killed the suspect. Police believe a second gunman may have been involved.
“I just hope there is justice and they catch the last person or the other person and that there’s justice. I want justice for my grandson,” Maribel said.
Steven’s father, Albert Romero, was at home with his 9-year-old daughter at the time of the shooting.
Just last month, Romero took his little boy to Legoland in California to celebrate his birthday. Now, he will have to plan a funeral.
“There’s nothing I really can do besides try to be with him until I can put him in his resting spot, wherever that is,” Albert Romero told KNTV.
“My son had his whole life to live and he was only 6. That’s all I can say.”
Our thoughts and prayers go out for Romero’s family and friends during this tragic time.
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