As the community marks the one-year anniversary of the Young Park mass shooting which claimed 3 young lives and injured more than a dozen others we spoke to two people present that night.
“What do you want to know about the car? I’ve had it for 2 years and I’ve been working on everything with it. I fell in love with it the day I seen it. It needed a lot of work but now it's up to par. It's a 1974 Jensen Healey. There was only 500 made of this specific model,” said Craig Theriault. “This was the car that I had at Young Park the ones I did donuts with, with the kids. The one the officers held for three days."
Craig Theriault was filming the cars do donuts when the sound of bullets started to ring. In his video you can see him run towards a victim, who was later identified as 19-year-old Dominick Estrada.
“I didn’t know the impact it was going to have on my life,” he said.
He said he has realized since that he was at the shooting not to save anyone but to bring comfort to the victims.
“I was so frightened, I was scared, I was really frightened but I knew that someone had to stand up and someone had to help. And God I guess chose me at that moment,” Theriault said.
He said he was asked to testify in the trials but decided not to because he wants to protect his peace. He now focuses on spreading positivity throughout the city.
“We all share a responsibility to take care of one another and take care of our youth,” he said.
Of course, after the interview, he had to do some donuts.
He believes that young people like the car scene because that is the only way they can free themselves from the stress and to show off what they've worked for.
“They want to get out here and flex their vehicles. They work hard for their vehicles," Theriault added.
Now that is the reason why my brother, Christian Salas was at the park that night. He has a green dropped 1998 Chevy Silverado. Our dad gave him this truck, and he has been working to upgrade it since he got it.
“I think mentally it did take a toll on me, a little bit. I tried to not let it get the best of me. I did just notice a change in how I behaved and what I find my entertainment in,” Salas said.
He hasn’t attended a car meet in a year he would rather stay at home even though he does miss showing his truck off he said. His truck is the way that he expresses himself. The car scene inspired him to start working on it, but he mentioned that he has seen fewer car meets happening.
“I think the car scene and these meet ups was something to do, it really kept me entertained. Something I can put my heart into because, I mean, we all have a vehicle, you know? And it's something else being able to put love and time into it. And for everyone else to see, that was pretty cool,” he said.
A year later he has reflected on the ways this has taken a toll on him.
“I was unharmed all I did was just run and get to my truck and get to a safe place. At first I didn't think much of it.I'm just a survivor whatever. I think now that I let the time pass and I see how it affected the city. With my emotions it was hard seeing a kid younger than me pass away, it can be any of us and that's what really took a toll on me,” Salas said.
He doesn’t think the car scene is completely dead. People are still working on cars and showing them off, but it did dull the sparkle that the car scene had in the city.
The family of one of the victims, 17-year-old Jason Gomez, has filed a lawsuit against the city that alleges that the city knew of these car meets and failed to secure the gates at the park, provide security and enforce permits. They are seeking compensation for funeral and burial costs, and other legal costs.
Two of four people charged in the shooting have been found guilty. They are brothers Tomas and Nathan Rivas. Josiah Ontiveros is scheduled to go on trial next month. Gustavo Dominguez is scheduled to go on trial in July.
