HOUSTON – The family of a woman who was shot twice during a robbery at an ATM in Houston gathered over the weekend, hoping for a miracle for their loved one.
On Wednesday night, 43-year-old Elvera Reyes’ family learned she would not make it.
Reyes leaves behind two sons, including a teenager, and a 2-year-old granddaughter, Addisyn.
“That’s all she talked about,” said Reyes’ grandmother, Gloria Gallegos. “Where’s my Addy? Where’s my Addy?”
Gallegos said she helped raise Reyes after her mom died of an illness 20 years ago.
“I don’t feel strong right now,” Gallegos said through tears. “I feel... I feel like at a dead end.”
The driver and passenger were wearing ski masks. The passenger could be heard on surveillance video yelling something like, “Give me the cash!”
When Reyes honked the horn to draw attention to the attempted armed robbery, the passenger in the white sedan opened fire, hitting Reyes twice.
“The fact of the matter is, I saw that person get shot in front of me,” said witness Christian Goffney, who had just finished his shift at a nearby Wingstop when it happened.
He ran to Reyes’ side.
“I applied pressure, got towels, and we tried to do everything that we could,” Goffney said. “We called police.”
Extended family members packed Reyes’ hospital room day after day, but her condition did not improve.
“Doctors said if she survived, she would be a vegetable,” said Gallegos, who has already buried three children and a grandchild.
“What we’re trying to do right now is raise some money to be able to bury her,” she said.
Reyes’ daughter-in-law set up a GoFundMe account to help with funeral expenses.