Teen shot at Fort Worth house party ‘didn’t deserve to die like this,’ family says
Her 17-year-old cousin, Andrew Elizondo, had wanted her to come out that night, sending her pictures of the house party in far north Fort Worth and himself in a face mask and gold chain behind the turntables.
Pricila Abejita Garcia, 21, was at home with her 5-month-old boy late on Oct. 24 as she received his barrage of messages. Elizondo, always more like a brother to her than a cousin, sent her and four other relatives Snapchat videos of the elaborate setup with strings of Christmas lights and a DJ stand with speakers. The night’s theme, he told her, was LMFAO, the name of the energetic two-man group behind the 2011 hit song “Party Rock Anthem.” Everyone was expected to dress in funky clothes or neon colors.
Elizondo’s uncle Greg Gaucin, a San Antonio resident, told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram the party was held at his aunt’s home in the 1900 block of Carver Avenue. Though Gaucin, 31, said he’s still unsure who was actually hosting, he knows his aunt’s boyfriend was present as well as several of Garcia’s cousins and mutual friends.
Elizondo wanted Garcia to be there to watch him DJ, a new trade for the teen who had taught himself how to play the guitar and drums. But, with a baby at home, she broke it to him she couldn’t be out that late.
She was awoken at 6 the next morning by a phone call from Gaucin, who had received a call from his sister about four hours earlier. He asked her to try to stay calm, to not startle her child. Elizondo, he told her, was murdered the night before.
Elizondo and another man, 21-year-old Luis Hernandez, were killed and three more people were injured in the shooting that came during one of the deadliest weekends in Fort Worth in recent memory. Police haven’t named suspects or offered a narrative of what happened, including if there was one or multiple shooters, and what sparked the act of violence. Department spokespeople have stated a “disturbance” preceded the shooting.
The teen’s family heard of his death through a chain of relatives beginning with those at the party, Garcia said. Police later confirmed Elizondo was killed.
“Everybody was just kind of like so shocked — we were all shocked. Because nobody expected it,” Garcia told the Star-Telegram in a phone interview. “Most people are going to look at his stuff and assume he was looking for trouble, but no, he wasn’t. He grew up in a good house. He grew up with a good family.”
The 10 days since the deadly shooting, she said, have been like a blur to the teen’s family, which includes his parents, one older sister and 15 cousins. They still have little clarity or closure about what happened on that night.
Garcia only knows, through those who were at the party, there was a pretend boxing ring set up with boxing gloves where people were encouraged to not take it too seriously, she said. People have told her there was an incident during a match occurred before shots were fired.
The family gathered on Sunday at Hawkins Funeral Home for Elizondo’s funeral, which was funded in part by a GoFundMe that has raised more than $7,600.
A GoFundMe has also been set up for the funeral expenses of the other man who died, Luis “Loui” Hernandez, raising more than $2,600. The Star-Telegram was unable to get in contact with Hernandez’s family.
Gaucin, who’s been in Fort Worth since Oct. 25, said in a phone call Thursday he didn’t know Hernandez along with likely several of the people who showed up to the large party. He wants to see a suspect or suspect identified and “justice served,” he said.
“He was 17, and at that age a lot of teenagers are asking themselves questions on what they’re going to do,” Gaucin said, his two young sons audible in the background. “He had a lot of plans for himself.”
Growing up in far north Fort Worth, Garcia said, Elizondo went to Bonnie Brae Elementary School down the road from his home before he attended multiple middle schools and eventually online school, not feeling like he was learning sitting in class. Before his death, she said, he was working on getting his GED in the hopes of going into the Air Force to travel the world.
Garcia’s grandmother raised her in a home right across the street from the Elizondo family, leading to their sibling-like relationship.
She will remember him as a hard worker, taking up random jobs ranging from busing tables to — most recently — screening people for COVID-19 symptoms at Southside Medical Clinic. He had a surprising passion for crocheting scarves for family members. He was proud of his Cadillac DeVille, which was red on the outside and the interior. His father was a pastor and he was a devout Christian.
“He was always saying that he believed in prayer and he was aware that his mom prayed for him every night, and he was very grateful for that,” Garcia said. “He would always tell us, ‘Don’t ever stop praying for me.’”
‘He didn’t deserve to die like this’
She had felt concerned, before her cousin’s death, the teen was trying to live life too fast.
He would talk about wanting to move out sooner rather than later to make it on his own, Garcia said. He went to parties largely with older people, often lying about his age. She told him, she said, “You shouldn’t be staying out too late” and “this is going to catch up to you.”
She worried he could get in some sort of trouble, as teens do.
“You hope they just fade out of it,” Garcia said. “In my cousin’s case, he didn’t, because he didn’t have a chance to.”
She has unanswered questions about what happened inside the party she hopes will soon be answered. People who were there have been speaking with police about their recollection of what happened and where the gunshots originated from, she said.
Police have indicated in emails over the past week the active state of the investigation is preventing the department from releasing information.
Garcia hopes people will remember Elizondo not for this incident but for his characteristics like his goofy sense of humor or his high-pitched laugh, which would cause him to cover his mouth slightly embarrassed.
“He was always trying to put off this tough guy demeanor,” she said. “But once you hear him laugh, you’re just like, ‘Oh my God, this kid is ridiculous.’”
Gaucin helped raise Elizondo as a teenager in Fort Worth and more recently spoke with him over the phone or paid him visits. Elizondo would always bring candy or toys to his sons, or take them out for ice cream.
“He didn’t deserve to die like this,” Gaucin said.
