BRIGHTON, Colo. — Dozens gathered Friday night to mourn the loss of a 17-year-old who was shot and killed at a Brighton park days before.
Brighton police say Josiah Gonzales was killed just before 9:30 p.m. Tuesday at Ken Mitchell Park. Two days later, officers arrested a 17-year-old in connection to Gonzales’ death.
During Friday’s vigil, family and friends arrived with candles, flowers and balloons. Many of the decorations were Josiah’s favorite colors — red, white and blue.
“He loved those colors,” Trisha Powell, the teen’s grandmother, said.
Powell said her grandson had dreams of becoming a trucker and joining the family business after graduating in the coming year.
“He had very good grades, he was loved by so many,” she said. “He had a plan, a future, and it’s taken.”
Powell said she and Gonzales’ mother, Ashley Huerta, were able to see the alleged shooter in court Friday morning. She said she saw no remorse.
“He just kept his head down and walked over and really just sat there with his head down,” Powell said.
In the months leading up to the shooting, Huerta told Denver7 her son received several threats by people he knew, which she reported to the police.
“They would send him pictures of guns to his phone and ask him where he’s at, and he would just ignore it,” Huerta said.
While investigators were unable to confirm those details amid their investigation, they did confirm that the suspect may have known Gonzales.
