'He’s just mutilated': Parents of San Antonio teen shot in McDonald's parking lot say every day is a struggle - NBC News

The parents of Erik Cantu, the 17-year-old lad who was changeable by a San Antonio constabulary serviceman successful the parking batch of a McDonald's, said the past 3 weeks person been a "horrific roller coaster" arsenic their lad continues to combat for his life.

"He's conscionable mutilated, and it hurts america to spot our lad that way," his mother, Victoria Casarez, said astatine a quality league Tuesday.

His father, Eric Cantu, said that the concern is "very interaction and go" and that Cantu precocious developed pneumonia, which analyzable his progress.

It was the archetypal clip Cantu's parents person publically spoken astir the Oct. 2 shooting, erstwhile Officer James Brennand opened occurrence connected the teen. Brennand has been fired and charged with aggravated assault.

Police assemblage camera video showed that Cantu was successful a maroon conveyance successful the restaurant's parking batch erstwhile Brennand yanked the driver's doorway unfastened and ordered him to get out.

Cantu was successful the driver's spot eating a hamburger, and a 17-year-old miss was successful the rider seat.

Cantu enactment the car successful reverse with the driver’s doorway inactive unfastened and backed up. Capt. Alyssa Campos, the constabulary department’s grooming commander, said successful a video statement that the doorway deed Brennand.

An serviceman opens the driver’s doorway and orders Erik Cantu retired of the conveyance successful San Antonio connected Oct. 2.San Antonio Police Department

Brennand opened occurrence 5 times arsenic the car reversed, the video showed. He fired 5 much shots arsenic Cantu drove away. Cantu was recovered astir a artifact distant suffering from aggregate gunshot wounds. He remains successful the infirmary on beingness support.

"Erik is not our Erik," his begetter said, adding that Cantu underwent a tracheotomy and is connected dense medication. "As the doctors effort to wean him disconnected these things successful the past fewer days, it doesn't look to counteract arsenic the mode we anticipated. Therefore, those small steps we spot daily, we conscionable support going back."

Cantu's parents said they judge helium was changeable 4 times. His parent said each of the bullets person been removed but 1 that remains lodged adjacent his heart.

"They're incapable to get that retired close now. It would bash much harm than good," she told reporters.

Police said that Brennand was called to McDonald’s connected Blanco Road for an unrelated disturbance telephone and approached Cantu's car due to the fact that helium believed it had evaded him the time earlier erstwhile helium tried to behaviour a postulation stop. Campos said Brennand thought the car was stolen, a assertion the household denies.

Attorney Benjamin Crump, who is representing the family, said Brennand racially profiled Cantu and "thought helium had the close to conscionable eviscerate the Constitution." Partner lawyer Paul Grinke said they program to look into policies and grooming astatine the San Antonio Police Department.

At the clip of the shooting, Brennand had been connected the unit for 7 months and was inactive connected probation, a modular signifier for San Antonio officers who graduated from the constabulary academy little than a twelvemonth ago. He was fired aft the shooting, past arrested and charged with 2 counts of aggravated battle connected Oct. 11. He posted enslaved and was released.

"These incidents don't commencement astatine the infinitesimal the trigger is pulled," Grinke said. "They commencement backmost successful the hiring process, successful the grooming process, successful the retention process and successful the policies and procedures of each constabulary department."

CORRECTION (Oct. 26, 2022, 3:50 p.m. ET): A erstwhile mentation of this nonfiction misspelled the archetypal sanction of the begetter of the teen changeable by San Antonio police. He is Eric Cantu, not Erik.