BROOKSHIRE, Texas – One teen is in custody and Brookshire police are looking for another—both are accused in the shooting death of 18-year-old Juan Carlos Rodriguez Jr.
Rodriguez was killed on Aug. 30, and his body was left in the parking lot of the Willow Springs Apartments on 5th St.
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Six days later, police arrested 17-year-old Justin Anthony in Brookshire and are holding him on murder charges.
Now they’re looking for a second teen—Eric Anthone Watts—also 17.
Watts is described as 5′7″ to 5′9″ tall, weighs between 140 and 150 pounds with brown eyes, black shoulder-length dreadlocks and a distinctive tattoo on the top of his right hand. Police say if you see Watts don’t approach him. They consider him armed and dangerous.
Waller County Crime Stoppers is offering a reward up to $5,000 for information that leads to the teen’s arrest. You can call their anonymous tip line at 979-826-8266 or Brookshire Police at 281-375-5000.
Victim’s family devastated
“In reality, you know, it’s like we’re still dreaming,” Rodriguez’s mother, Janet Loza told KPRC 2′s Gage Goulding. “Every day we wake up thinking that, you know, the nightmare, but wake up to the same thing. He’s not home.”
At this point, it appears that no one was around as Rodriguez took his final breath.
“That was the hardest thing because he was probably trying to ask for help, but nobody was there to help him. Nobody was there,” Loza said.
His family is still trying to figure out why he was even at the apartment complex to begin with.
“We don’t know what he was doing here. Nobody knows,” Loza said. “We don’t know why he was here. We don’t know nobody here.”
The even bigger question: Why did someone shoot Rodriguez?
“Like, what did he do to you for you to kill him? What did he do for him to take somebody’s life,” Loza pleaded.
A GoFundMe page to help the family describes Juan as a cheerful young man who loved riding horses and spending time with his family and friends.
“We want justice for my brother,” said Abigail Cortez. “He was a very loving son, brother, uncle. He was a loving soul.”