Mother mourns son’s death on Easter Sunday, a month before his high school graduation

WACO, Texas (KWTX/Gray News) - A Texas family says they have been overcome with emotion since losing their son in a shooting on Easter Sunday.

Waco police identified Giovanni Lopez, 18, as the person who was fatally shot the night of April 20.

Waco Police Department Spokeswoman Cierra Shipley said the shooting occurred in the 1700 block of J.J. Flewellen Road just before 9 p.m.

Officers said two 18-year-old men and a 23-year-old man were shot that night. They were taken to the hospital, where Lopez died as a result of his injuries.

Lopez’s family says they are still grappling with the sudden loss.

“It started as a normal Easter,” Mallory Ordonez, Lopez’s aunt, said. “One minute we’re laughing at something we remember about Giovanni, and then that same memory will make you feel like you’re dying.”

Veronica Lopez, the 18-year-old’s mother, said she had just learned the day before that her son would be graduating from high school after overcoming several challenges.

One of his teachers had reached out, writing, “Your son was smart and ambitious. He told me, ‘Mrs. B, I’m gonna make my momma proud.’”

Ordonez said she viewed Giovanni Lopez as a son, too.

“I didn’t birth him, but that was my baby, too,” she said. “He knew it. We shared him.”

Police said they do not have a suspect in custody but believe it was a targeted shooting.

The Lopez family has since started a GoFundMe to help with funeral costs.

Authorities urge anyone with further information on the shooting to contact the Waco Police Department at 254-750-7500.

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