A family is mourning the loss of a husband and father after two people were shot and killed while trying to break into their home in a Dallas apartment complex Saturday afternoon.
The shooting occurred in the 440 block of St. Augustine Drive on Dec. 30 around 2:40 p.m.
According to Dallas police, officers were dispatched to the Pleasant Grove area after receiving a report of a shooting. When police arrived on scene, they found 24-year-old Juvenal Antero suffering from gunshot wounds inside an apartment.
Antero was rushed to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Police said investigators learned that two people broke into Antero's apartment and shot him to death.
Antero's wife, Elizabel Cárdenas, and their 4-year-old son were home at the time of the shooting, and she described the terrifying moments leading up to her husband's death.
“I answered the door at 2:30,” Cardenas said. “They were knocking. They were asking for help. I think they were asking for a plunger for the toilet or something.”
Cardenas said he told the person he couldn't help, and a second person showed up.
“He showed me a gun and told everyone to get on the ground,” Cardenas explained.
Cardenas said he tried to slam the door.
“And he pointed the gun at my son. My husband jumped in front of my son and took the bullet for him. He was able to fight back and protect his family and protect his son.” said Cardenas.
The couple recently learned that they are pregnant with their second child.
“I'm 11 weeks pregnant,” Cardenas said. “He was really looking forward to going to my appointment this Wednesday to listen to his heartbeat and get his ultrasound pictures taken.”
The family is currently preparing for Antero's funeral.
“My son always asks me, 'When will my father come back to life?' This is something a child should not witness or hear. I would never wish this on anyone,” Cárdenas said. Told. “Nobody's words will comfort me. You know, the detective wouldn't let me touch him, he wouldn't let me hold his hand. He was evidence.”
As of Monday afternoon, no arrests had been made and no suspects had been released. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
