Family of Irwan Paez seeks justice after teen's tragic death, 3 teen shootings in one week

HOUSTON - The family of Irwan Paez is speaking out for the first time since the 17-year-old was shot and killed outside a McDonald's on West Road Thursday night. Despite the Houston Police Department detaining three individuals, no arrests have been made or charges filed.

What they're saying:

Perla Aguilar, Paez's mother, expressed her grief and longing for justice. 

"He was my life, my only boy, my baby," she said tearfully.

Aguilar described her son as a joyful and kind-hearted young man who loved sports, particularly boxing.

Family members insist that Paez had no known conflicts with anyone and was deeply caring towards his friends and family. 

"His mistake was getting involved in a situation that didn’t involve him, and it cost him his life," Paez's aunt said.

The shooting was captured on surveillance video, which shows the suspect fleeing in a red pickup truck. However, the footage is too painful for Aguilar to watch. 

Paez's sister, Angie, voiced the family's frustration with the lack of progress in the case.

"We want an update. We want to know what they are going to do with them. It’s not fair what they did to my brother," she said.

Big picture view:

The incident is part of a troubling trend of violence involving teenagers in Houston. 

On Friday afternoon, two Pasadena ISD students were shot following a brawl, and later that evening, a 14-year-old was killed after an argument escalated over the phone.

"There shouldn’t be violence with minors, especially if they have guns," Angie Paez said. "It’s not possible that kids nowadays cannot go to school and trust their classmates."

The death of Irwan Paez has left a profound impact on his family, friends, and the community. "I love him with all my heart, and I’m going to miss him so much," Aguilar said.

What we know:

Officials said three persons of interest were detained near Tidwell and Wayside on Thursday night. 

Police said on Thursday evening this all stemmed from a verbal fight at a community soccer game where two groups were involved on Wednesday. 

The two groups of juveniles had some kind of disturbance, with one group exposing a weapon to the other group. The fight led to further conflicts at school.

Fast-forward to Thursday where officials said one of the groups was eating at a restaurant. 

Officials said that a second individual, who is believed to be the shooter, was picked up at an Aldine grocery store by an older model Ram 1500.

That truck then passed by the group of juveniles that were with the 17-year-old victim on Thursday, officials said.

Houston police said it's unknown what was exchanged at the restaurant, but the truck went to McDonald's, did a U-turn, and it went to the drive-thru to order some food. 

At that point, officials said the juveniles that were at the restaurant walked to the McDonald's, walked to the vehicle, and a verbal fight began. 

During the verbal fight, officials said one of the passengers in the Ram pickup truck pulled the trigger and shot the victim.

Authorities said they did get good license plates and detectives are looking for a red Dodge half-ton pickup truck.

What you can do:

Paez' family has set up a GoFundMe page.

Crime and Public SafetyHouston