Mother says her son’s death from gunshot wound was not a reckless accident

The mother of an 18-year-old who was shot in the head and killed doesn’t believe her son’s death was an accident.

Dolores Garcia, the mother of Romeoville resident Carlos Gasca, said she wants justice for her son.

Eric Alhourani and Marco Mesina both 20 and residents of Romeoville, were arrested in connection with Gasca’s Jan. 17 death.

Alhourani, Mesina and Gasca were riding together in the parking lot of the South Weber Road Walmart when Gasca was shot in the head, according to Romeoville police and Will County coroner reports.

Alhourani was charged with reckless discharge of a firearm. The manner of Gasca’s death was considered accidental by the coroner’s office.

Garcia believes Alhourani should have been charged with a more severe crime.

“I don’t have hate in my heart … I look at it as accountability of action. There has to be a bigger consequence for your action,” Garcia said.

Garcia said her family continues to struggle with the loss of her son and is still recovering from the death of her sister, who had cancer, last year.

“We said, ‘There can’t be anything worse that can happen’ … And then this comes. That is a parent’s worst nightmare,” she said through tears.

Will County Assistant State’s Attorney Jim Long approved Alhourani’s reckless discharge of a firearm charge Jan. 18, according to a Romeoville police report. When asked about the charge, state’s attorney spokeswoman Carole Cheney said in an email the office “made a determination based on a thorough review of the evidence.”

“It wouldn’t be appropriate to speculate on whether or not future charges may or may not be brought,” Cheney said.

Alhourani's attorney, Steven Haney, said he considered Gasca's death an accident and that he believed the evidence will show that, although Alhourani pulled the trigger, he did so inadvertently.

Garcia has several questions for Mesina and Alhourani, both of whom she never knew as her son’s friends. She wanted to know why they didn’t take Gasca to the hospital, why they did not call 911 the moment he was shot and why they allegedly lied about the incident to the police afterward.

“If you are a so-called-friend, why didn’t you take my son to a hospital? Why didn’t you call 911?” Garcia said.

Mesina and Alhourani drove to a Lockport Township fire station on Weber Road after Gasca was shot and met with a fire captain, who then called police officers, according to a police report. Prosecutors said both men initially tried to deceive police by concocting a tale of a gang member named “Dubs” shooting Gasca.

When she went to the hospital to see her son, Garcia said, she couldn’t believe what was happening. She said her son was on life support, his right eye was swollen and she was told by doctors he had a 1% chance of survival.

“I got on my knees. ‘Oh God, please don’t tell me this is really happening. I’m not here. This is not happening to my son Carlos,’ ” Garcia said as she started to cry. “What did I do wrong? What did I do wrong?”

Garcia said Haney’s statements in court that Gasca’s family supported Alhourani’s exoneration were untrue.

She said the GoFundMe for her son’s funeral expenses, which said his death was a “tragic accident,” was written by her niece and posted at a time when she was under the impression from the police that his death was an accident.

Haney said he based his statements on information he had at the time and he claimed he saw text messages between the families of Alhourani and Gasca that were consistent with what he said, but didn’t recall directly speaking with Gasca’s family.

Garcia said she was upset to learn that Mesina’s and Alhourani’s attorneys were claiming in court that two guns, drugs and cash police found in the car reportedly belonged to her son. Mesina and Alhourani have been charged with possessing the items.

Haney said that it was his understanding the items belonged to Gasca, who brought them along inside a backpack and box. Mesina’s attorney, Shady Yassin, declined to comment Tuesday.

“How can everything be blamed on him? He can’t even speak for himself,” Garcia said of her son.

Garcia said she's been working with the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence in Washington, D.C., to review her son's case. She said an attorney with the nonprofit group said the reckless discharge of a firearm charge was not appropriate for the case. She also said she plans to launch a hashtag on social media called #JusticeForCarlosG and push for more youths to be aware of the dangers of guns. She said her family still needs help with paying for her son's funeral expenses through GoFundMe.

“We just want accountability for the life of Carlos. We want justice,” Garcia said.