Grieving Stockton Mother Mourns Loss Of 17-Year-Old Son As Police Look For Suspects
STOCKTON (CBS13) — Rochelle Valverde is dealing with the unimaginable loss of her son.
"Hold your babies. Hold them tight. Don't let them go. You don't know when the last time you're going to say 'I love you,'" Valverde said. "Any mother's nightmare is to lose their child or bury their child; no matter what happens in life."
Valverde didn't want to show her face because her 17-year-old son Rafael Chavez, who went by Ralphie, may have been targeted.
"There's no reason my son needed to be killed. My son would have given anything for his life," Valverde said.
Stockton Police said that could be a possibility after Chavez was shot and killed near Rose Street and Queen Avenue early Sunday morning.
READ: Former DHS Whistleblower Philip Haney Found Dead Of Gunshot Wound In Amador County
"I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe," Valverde said. "He's with God. He's watching over us."
Chavez's mother, sisters and friends say he loved to play football and played at Lincoln High School before transferring to Chavez High School. The Stockton Unified School District told CBS13 that Rafael Chavez was no longer with the school district and hasn't been since January 2020.
"He was such a loving caring person. He was funny, goofy. He made everybody smile," Ananhi Nunez said.
There are candles, mementos and messages written on the sidewalk where a memorial has been set up for Chavez. All reminders of the pain that is still fresh in the hearts of Chavez's family and friends.
ALSO: Modesto Homicide Suspect Arrested In Merced
"There's nothing in time or present that you can erase the moment when I got that call. Nobody should go through this," Valverde said.
"It hurts. It really does. It's sad," Nunez said.
Family and friends have a message for the person responsible for his death: "It's going to come back," Nunez said.
"There are no words that can take away the pain that this person has caused our family," Valverde said.
Stockton Police told CBS13 that they haven't identified a suspect or suspects at this time.
Anyone with information relevant to the shooting is asked to contact Stockton Crime Stoppers at 209-946-0600.