Victim's family grieves (13 June 2006)

Possible suspect linked to drive-by

By JOE RUIZ
jruiz@sastandardtimes.com or 659-8254

A San Angelo man killed in a drive-by shooting Saturday was remembered Monday as a selfless person who always wanted the best for his children.

Eduardo Gaspar, a 25-year-old construction worker, was shot and killed Saturday night at a friend's home at 613 E. 20th St., while watching a boxing match with a group of friends, said Margaret Mendez, the stepmother of Barney Mendez, who lives at the home where the shooting occurred.

Police said Gaspar appeared to be a victim of circumstance in the drive-by shooting, noting they have found no evidence that indicates Gaspar was the target of the shooting.

A police report names a possible suspect. One witness told police the potential suspect had a disagreement with a resident of the home in February.

The shooting occurred just before 11 p.m. Saturday.

Gaspar was taken by ambulance to Shannon Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

As of Monday, no arrests had been made.

Gaspar is survived by his parents, two sisters and two young children.

''Because of the (shooter's) mistake, my kids don't have a dad,'' said Mayra Nunez, Gaspar's girlfriend and the mother of their children, 3-year-old Eddie Jr. and 18-month-old Edgar. ''And he's (the shooter) going to be out there running the streets and they still haven't got him. I just hope they get him and put him in jail.''

On Monday, family and friends brought photos to and offered condolences at Gaspar's home on East 24th Street. Many of the photos showed Gaspar smiling with family and friends, as well as with his children.

''I don't wish anybody what's happened to me and the feeling that I have inside,'' said Erika Gaspar, the victim's sister. ''I just leave it all to God.''

Most of the people inside the home sobbed as they recalled Gaspar's life.

''He was a person who would give up his food so that a friend could eat,'' Gaspar's mother, Maria Gaspar, said in Spanish through an interpreter.

Gaspar also served as a peacemaker, his mother said, often breaking up fights between his cousins. His mother said she would tell him to be careful, but he would respond that he didn't care if he were hurt - he would break up the fights because they were his cousins.

A rosary service is tentatively scheduled for Friday with funeral arrangements pending at Johnson's Funeral Home, 435 W. Beauregard Ave.

The homicide is the second killing in San Angelo in 2006. Brandon Trevino, 18, was charged with murder after telling police he shot his girlfriend, Katrina Nicole Carrasco, in January with what he said he thought was an unloaded gun.

There were two murders in San Angelo in 2005.