A San Antonio baby Armani King Cazares who has shot in the chest three years ago sadly passed away Thursday afternoon, according to a family member.
What happened to Armani in 2020?
Armani was left brain-damaged and critical after their mother’s boyfriend shoots him in the chest.
Lance Tello Jr., 19, is said to have shot one-month-old Armani Cazares before turning the gun on his mother, and his 14-year-old sister inside his family’s home on Five Forks Drive at around 2 am on April 4, 2020.
After admitting to the hospital, he was in surgery for 3.5 hours and doctors said he suffered some brain damage due to a lack of oxygen.
Man behaved Mercilessly
Delacruz revealed that Tello Jr. worked six days a week at the Maruchan Texas Inc. ramen noodle factory, and that, a day before the shooting, told her he was feeling stressed at work and asked her to pick him up early. She said he seemed normal when they got back home and even asked if he should feed Armani. “(Suddenly) his face changes and he’s telling me he doesn’t want to hold the baby anymore,” she recalled.
He reportedly continued to stare at the mirror for around a minute or two, and then, to her horror, reached in between the mattresses. pulled out a gun, cocked it, and pointed it toward her. “And he’s looking at my baby, and I’m telling him, ‘You’re not going to shoot my baby.’ But before I could push him away from me, the gun goes off. And then I’m deaf. And then I turn around and I see my son. My son is on the floor and he’s turning blue.”
Tello Jr. was arrested not long after fleeing the scene and has since been charged with one count of injury to a child and three counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in connection to the incident. He is currently being held at the Bexar County Jail with bonds set at a combined $500,000.
Armani King Cazares death
Armani was born on Feb. 25, 2020, Armani King Cazares was just one month old when police say his mother’s 19-year-old boyfriend shot the infant in front of her in April 2020. Three years later, Armani passed away around 1:30 p.m. Thursday surrounded by family, who has now started a GoFundMe page to help cover funeral expenses.
Lance Tello Jr. has been at the Bexar County Jail ever since on a charge of injury to a child causing serious bodily injury after being found “incompetent to stand trial.” He’s accused of shooting the baby in a fit of rage during the middle of the night at Tello’s family home on Five Forks Dr.
Poor Mother doesn’t give up Hope
After the shooting, doctors gave Armani little chance of survival, but his mother Daisy De La Cruz never gave up hope. “The doctors were telling me that there was no hope,” she recalled in a previous interview. “They said Armani would practically be brain dead, that he’d be blind and deaf. But I wasn’t hearing that.”
She refused to take Armani off life support. “I couldn’t make that call,” she says. “I knew he was going to get better.” Eventually, Armani did get better and was released from the hospital. “He showed everyone how strong he is.” We were there as he celebrated birthdays and holidays. Two months ago, Armani turned 3 years old. His mother called him her “miracle baby”.
There were still plenty of challenges, she conceded. Armani required a ventilator as well as a gastronomy tube that brought him nutrition directly to his stomach. Nurses took turns helping De La Cruz with her baby’s round-the-clock care at a home big enough to accommodate the family’s needs.
De La Cruz continued to chronicle her son’s progress on the Facebook page Armani’s Journey. Whether it’s pictures of Armani dressed up as Colonel Sanders for Halloween or videos of him out for a neighborhood stroll, she tried to keep everyone updated as much as she can. The overwhelming number of likes and comments from the page’s thousands of followers have always meant a lot to her.
“I love every single one of his supporters,” she says. “A bunch of people out there love him.”
Social Media Tributes
Jen Dunmore Posted
Prayers for the family. Daisy, I am so sorry for your loss, my heart breaks for you. You ARE a wonderful mother to Armani, you took excellent care of him. I loved watching your videos of him. I pray for God to wrap his loving arms around you and give you strength during this very difficult time. I pray that you find comfort in knowing that Armani has touched so many lives in his time here on Earth and he will be remembered. Rest in peace sweet angel.
Larissa Posted
My deepest condolences to Daisy and their family. Armani gave and had so much love surrounding him. He truly was a miracle. I’m so glad you didn’t listen to the Doctor that said to pull the plug and you were able to share these special few years together.
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