'There's An Emptiness In My Heart': Family Mourns 23-Year-Old Fatally Shot In Richmond
RICHMOND, CA — Reina Cornejo and her husband were woken up around dawn Monday by a volley of gunfire.
Though the shots erupted blocks away from their Richmond home, they immediately went to check on their children.
Their son Leonardo was sound asleep in the living room.
Their eldest, Josue, was nowhere to be found.
After searching all over the city, with police tape separating the parents from their son's body, they learned the truth: it was the sound of Josue's murder that woke them.
'I Didn't Think That Was The Last Day'
Diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia at 16, Josue always found his peace in solitary walks, his family said.
"He liked being alone and in his space," Reina said. "Walking was one of his favorite hobbies."
On Sunday, the day before gunfire tore through the neighborhood, Josue asked Reina if she could buy him a burrito from his favorite lunch truck.
Reina agreed. After she bought him the burrito, she asked if he wanted to go home or to the park.
The park, he answered. Reina and Josue spent that day walking around the park. They walked until they reached a shoreline. The two stayed and watched the ocean for a while, Reina said.
After the park, Reina and Josue visited the grocery store. Reina said she told him to get whatever he wanted. Croissants and pistachios, he said.
Josue got home and immediately went for the croissants, Reina said. He left the pistachios on the dining room table where they still sit today, unopened, his family said.
"I didn't think that was the last day I would share with him," Reina said. "If he were here, I would give him such a big hug and tell him that I love him so much."
'I'm here, mom'
It wasn't like Josue to have left the house so early. Although he sometimes suffered from insomnia, he'd pace around his room and listen to music on restless nights, his family said.
But that morning, he appeared to have gone on a walk and was on his way home
His parents believe somebody may have tried to rob him of his yellow North Face jacket when Josue had refused to give it up. He was yelling for help in the moments before he was killed, according to details his family has received from neighbors.
The Richmond Police Department released limited details about the fatal shooting. Police say officers responded to the 1400 block of Bissell Avenue just before 6 a.m.
"My wife wishes this was a dream, a nightmare," Reina's husband, Ivan Romero, told Patch, his voice cracking and fighting back tears. "That he would enter through the door and say, 'I'm here, mom.'"
A Special Person
Josue was described by his family as a smart, humble, caring and respectful man who greeted everyone with a smile.
Growing up, he enjoyed taking photos, playing sports, going to the park and watching the waves crash. He loved every meal his mother made, especially fried chicken, pancakes and eggs, his family said.
"He never had any hate in his heart," longtime family friend Glenda Luarca said. "He was humble, happy all day, even if the world was falling apart around him."
When Josue was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, he became quieter and private, his family said. He took medication, but struggled to find a job because of his illnesses. Still, his happiness and laughter didn't waver, his family said.
Following his diagnosis, Josue spent a lot of time at home, playing video games and listening to music. He prayed a lot, read the bible, and helped his mother fill out forms she didn't understand, his family said.
He'd only leave to go on walks to try and distract himself. Some days, he'd accompany his mother to the grocery store or to buy food, his family said.
Unanswered Questions
Following the shooting that Monday morning, Reina and Romero drove around their neighborhood, hoping to find Josue. As time passed, Reina says she felt in her heart that it could've been Josue who had been shot.
When they finally arrived at the scene of the shooting, police were everywhere, Reina said. She gained hope when an officer told her they were investigating the shooting of an elderly man, Reina said. Still, she needed to make sure it wasn't Josue.
They drove around to another area police had closed off. She got off and pleaded to the officers for information about who had been shot.
Romero, meanwhile, kept driving around the city. He checked liquor stores and restaurants, but the 23-year-old was nowhere to be found.
Romero looped back around to go check in on his wife. He found her in the same spot, still hoping officers could give her an answer.
Then, an officer walked up to her and told her the last words she was hoping to hear.
"How do you know it's her son?" Reina's husband, Luis Romero, asked the officers. "Does he have a yellow jacket?"
"Yes," the officer responded, according to Romero.
"What's his name?"
"Josue," the officer responded.
"What's his last name?" Romero asked.
"Cornejo," the officer told them.
"It can't be him," Reina said moments before she fainted.
Since Josue's death, Reina and Romero say their house has felt empty and cold. The mother of two says she can't sleep. When a tired Romero tries to, he suddenly wakes up to the sound of Reina crying, and he spends the rest of the night trying to console her, he said.
"The pain is very deep," Reina said. "There's an emptiness in my heart."
Reina says she can't understand why anyone would want to shoot her son. He wasn't in a gang, and he never messed with anyone, his loved ones said.
Why couldn't they have just hit him or wound him, Reina wonders. If so, she could be at the hospital right now tending to him, she said.
"They shouldn't have killed him the way that they did," Reina said.
Josue's family has started a
But more than anything, his family and loved ones say they want justice for him.
While police are investigating, they're not moving as quickly as Josue's family had hoped.
Josue's family emphasized that Richmond needs more security cameras and that authorities need to address gun violence in the city.
"The violence in Richmond needs to stop," Reina's longtime friend, Luarca, said. "Today it's us, tomorrow it may be another family."
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This story features quotes that were translated from Spanish to English by the reporter.
