On February 14, a 15-year-old boy from California was ambushed and fatally stabbed in the heart while out with his high school sweetheart, giving her an unforgettable Valentine’s Day.
A Valentine’s Day date turned into an unspeakable tragedy when 15-year-old David Gutierrez was fatally stabbed at a high-end shopping center in San Jose, California.
The boy was on a romantic date with his fiancée when he “was attacked by a group of juveniles.”
The San Jose Police Department (SJPD) claims that about 7:14 p.m. on February 14, police responded to a call regarding a “fight involving multiple people” on Santana Row, a renowned shopping and entertainment zone.
When they arrived, they found David with at least one stab wound. Paramedics tried life-saving procedures before transporting the kid to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries.
“Family’s happy energy.”
The high school student’s relatives told ABC7 that he was “kind, empathetic,” and had a “gentle demeanor.”
“He was his family’s happy energy, and whenever he walked into a room, it simply lit up,” loved ones said in a statement to the news site. “Our darling young kid is an incredible young man whose life was cut too short at the age of 15. He enrolled in college-bound coursework to help him become ready for college. He was involved in the community church activities.
Berto Barrita, David’s boxing coach at Gladiator’s Boxing Gym, told the news source, “He was a good kid, he was outgoing, he was friends with everybody here, and all these young guys here were friends of his.”
The trainer at the Redwood City gym voiced his anguish, calling what happened to the teenager “devastating.”
“He joined because a lot of his friends would come here too and he just wanted to be with his friends, hang out, and box,” Barrita told me.
‘We lost our baby.’
David’s untimely death has sent shockwaves through the town, with many people rallying behind his family in support.
“My sympathies to you and your family. My daughter Emma was a close friend of David’s, and she is deeply affected by this. We will all remember David and his wonderful huge smile,” writes one internet user on his aunt Diana Gutierrez’s GoFundMe page, which was set up to help the family financially.
“My deepest condolences for your loss – this hurt,” said a second giver.
The fundraising campaign, which had raised nearly $32,000 of its $20,000 goal by February 21, states that the young man “was beaten and then stabbed in the heart. David struggled for his life but died before undergoing surgery. “We have lost our baby.”
According to a statement provided by SJPD, the suspects fled the scene and have not been recognized or charged. The motivation and circumstances are also being investigated.
“We are at a complete loss and trying to process this incomprehensible act of violence,” relatives told me.
Rest in peace, David. Please send your well wishes to this young man’s family and loved ones in the comments box below, and then share this story with others so they can do the same.