NATIONAL CITY, Calif. (KGTV) - A mother in National City will march through the town Friday night to demand answers about her slain son's unsolved murder.
Jacob Velasquez, 22, was killed in a shootout on June 24. Police don't have anyone in custody for his death.
"It's been a nightmare for all of us," said Norma Velasquez, the victim's mother. "It's been almost a month, and we haven't heard anything."
On Friday at 7 p.m., Velasquez and her family will walk from the police station in National City to 8th Avenue near J Street -- where her son was shot. It's a little more than a mile, but in that short distance, they hope to make a big difference.
"I want them to tell me something," Velasquez said. "I know it won't bring my son back, but it will ease my pain a little bit."
National City police Sgt. Chris Cameon told 10News the investigation is taking a long time because of a very complicated crime scene.
"I would love nothing more than to be able to call Mrs. Velasquez and tell her we've made an arrest," Sergeant Cameon said. "But I can't do that yet."
Four people were shot in an apartment on Eighth Street near J. Two died, Jacob and another man whom police haven't identified.
The shoot out also involved a lengthy SWAT standoff, which Cameon said made the investigation more difficult.
Police initially arrested one man from the apartment, but the District Attorney decided not to press charges.
Meanwhile, the National City Police Department is waiting for evidence to come back from the crime lab as the investigation continues.
Velasquez says she hasn't been able to sleep since her son died. She got a new tattoo on her arm that reads "Sweet Child of Mine." She used to sing the Guns N' Roses song to Jacob as a child.
"Every time I look at it, it reminds me of him. He's part of me," she said.
Velasquez also looks at his old Facebook videos every day, saying, "I like to hear him, at least I get to hear his voice because I know he was happy then."
Thinking back to the day he dies brings Velasquez to tears.
"I heard people talking to me," she said, "but I couldn't understand what they said. I couldn't understand. Because he's my son. I gave birth to him, and I don't think anyone has a right to take my son away from me."
Velasquez brought her son's urn to the family home in National City. She said it would stay there until she gets justice for his murder.
"The day we have somebody in custody or the day we find answers, that's the day I'm going to say goodbye," she said.
In the meantime, she sits with the urn every day, speaking to her son.
"I tell him that I love him and that the 22 years I had with him were the greatest," said Velasquez.
