Last Thursday, Deborah Valenciano received a call that changed her life when a family member saw her son’s Nissan Sentra on the news on San Mateo, not far from her house.”He put his head down and said, ‘Sorry, ma’am, this can’t be happening.’ And I asked if he was OK, and they said he was already gone,” Valenciano said.Her 19-year-old son, Roman Valenciano, was shot and killed during what police say was a road rage incident. According to the criminal complaint, 31-year-old Cecilio Lopez Sanchez was braking and stopping erratically in front of the teen’s car, then pulled up next to him and opened fire.”But my son ain’t a person to keep provoking, to fight,” Valenciano said.Lopez was arrested and charged in connection to the teen’s murder.”I’m just telling myself he’s out of town,” Valenciano said.The family met with KOAT Monday, still in disbelief.”I’m heartbroken,” Valenciano said.She displayed pictures of her six children and her late husband, Juan. He died last year from complications of cancer.”Because I lost my husband, I haven’t fully grieved for him, and now my son,” Valenciano said.The family is planning a burial in the near future and trying to raise money by setting up a GoFundMe account. “He was the person to motivate all of us to keep going,” Valenciano said.
Last Thursday, Deborah Valenciano received a call that changed her life when a family member saw her son’s Nissan Sentra on the news on San Mateo, not far from her house.
“He put his head down and said, ‘Sorry, ma’am, this can’t be happening.’ And I asked if he was OK, and they said he was already gone,” Valenciano said.
Her 19-year-old son, Roman Valenciano, was shot and killed during what police say was a road rage incident. According to the criminal complaint, 31-year-old Cecilio Lopez Sanchez was braking and stopping erratically in front of the teen’s car, then pulled up next to him and opened fire.
“But my son ain’t a person to keep provoking, to fight,” Valenciano said.
Lopez was arrested and charged in connection to the teen’s murder.
“I’m just telling myself he’s out of town,” Valenciano said.
The family met with KOAT Monday, still in disbelief.
“I’m heartbroken,” Valenciano said.
She displayed pictures of her six children and her late husband, Juan. He died last year from complications of cancer.
“Because I lost my husband, I haven’t fully grieved for him, and now my son,” Valenciano said.
The family is planning a burial in the near future and trying to raise money by setting up a GoFundMe account.
“He was the person to motivate all of us to keep going,” Valenciano said.
