PATTERSON, Calif. — Leora Luckett could not hold back the tears speaking about Darwin Derosans, 50, who was shot and killed outside of the Captain’s Anchor bar in north Stockton just two days before Christmas.
To this day, the family Christmas tree is still up. Luckett refuses to unwrap the presents under the gifted to her from her son, because it’s just too painful for her to open them.
"He just killed my child. He just killed my child. And then he ran. And then he ran," Luckett said from the couch of her Patterson home. "The mothers out there that I seen crying for their kids on the TV — I see them, and my heart went out to them. Well, I'm one of those mothers now."
Stockton Police officers responded to reports of a shooting at the Captain’s Anchor bar on Thornton Road in the early hours of Dec. 23. When officers arrived at the bar, they found Derosans suffering from gunshot wounds.
Despite life-saving efforts, Derosans was pronounced dead at the scene.
Stockton Police have since announced that they are looking for Robert Gonzalez, 35, as the suspect in Derosans’ death.
Stockton saw a spike in homicides in the first part of 2019, but extra help from state, federal and community partners helped bring it down. In 2019, Stockton Police investigated 34 homicides, one more than in 2018.
Still, those numbers continue a downward trend for the city, which saw 71 homicides in 2014.
The San Joaquin County District Attorney's Office said many of the suspects in 2019 homicides have been arrested. But there are still cases like Derosans where the suspect is still out there.
Derosans’ family, who affectionately call him "Pooky," told ABC10 that he lived near the bar, and it was his favorite place to hang out.
His brother, Nysaya Garcia, said he spoke to Derosans on the phone just 30 minutes before he was killed, because he was supposed to pick him up from the bar that night.
Garcia recalled his brother telling him how someone at the bar he had never met was harassing him for no reason.
"And I remember the last thing he said to me was, 'You know, Nady, like, I help you because you always do right by me. So, I love you, and I'll see you when you get here,'" Garcia said.
RELATED: San Joaquin County's murder rate has dropped 25% since 2010, District Attorney's Office says
Derosans, a father of four, was a former moving company worker who got into trouble 15 years earlier and spent time in jail. But he’d turned his life around and spent time helping those in need.
"He wasn't perfect, but I love my child," Luckett said. "I love my child, and I miss him every day."
Stockton police say suspect Robert Gonzalez is Hispanic man standing about 5'11" and weighing 190 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes and is believed to be driving a gray 2019 Jeep Cherokee, license plate number 8LYU526.
Police say Gonzalez is most likely armed.
If you have any information, call Stockton Police at 209-937-8323. You can also call Stockton Crime Stoppers at 209-946-0600. Crime Stoppers pays cash rewards up to $10,000. You can remain anonymous.
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