GRESHAM, Ore. — The family of 16-year-old Alexander Ortiz de Jesus had to say goodbye to him this week, 10 days after a shooting that left him in critical condition. The Gresham teenager was hospitalized after being shot in the face on Sept. 24, and he died Tuesday after oxygen stopped flowing to his brain.
Officers arrested a 15-year-old suspect on Sunday, charging him with attempted murder and assault. Those charges were upgraded to include murder after Alexander's passing.
The shooting happened in the afternoon near the intersection of Northeast Division Street and Burnside, and Alexander's mother, Artemia de Jesus Ramirez, said she was nearby at the time.
"We heard the gunshots," she said. "It was four gunshots."
She told KGW that she ran out to the scene after learning her son was the victim, but she couldn't see him until he was in the hospital, fighting for his life.
"I didn't eat. I didn't sleep. I just kept watching over my baby," she said.
She stayed by his side for 10 days.
"The worst part was watching my son laying there, knowing he wouldn't wake up anymore," she said.
"We can't imagine those last moments for him," said Leticia Bautista, Alexander's sister. "It was really close to him — that's what the doctors told us. [The shooter] had to be really close to him. We're thinking this kid that did this — he doesn't have a heart. We were really devastated by watching my brother in that bed. He didn't deserve to die like this."
Heartbroken and hurting, the family members say they're praying for community support, and for the teen who allegedly killed Alexander to be tried as an adult.
"We don't want to leave it just like that," said Edgar Kim, Alexander's brother-in-law, "We want justice for him."
Gresham Police told KGW they are not looking for any more suspects, and that additional information has not been released due to the age of the suspect.
The family has started a GoFundMe page to help pay for the funeral expenses.