Editor’s note: This story is part of a series about American teenagers killed by firearms this year, a leading cause of death among children in the United States. Read more about the project here.
CNN –
Alexander Lara Delgado smiled and focused on his girlfriend as he spun her around, moving to free the bell skirt of her baby blue ball gown. Guests cheered as Alex, dressed in a sharp white tuxedo, took her in his arms and spun her in the air four times.
It was all part of a beautiful dance Alex choreographed for his dear friend Roselena’s quinceañera. Alex even went so far as to put on his girlfriend’s Cinderella-esque dress during rehearsals to show her all the steps.
They were neighbors and close friends and grew up together from a young age. And that dance for Roselena’s 15th birthday “was something very beautiful,” said Alex’s mother, Eubdulia Delgado Alvarado.
It was the last big milestone that Alex was able to experience.
Just a few months later, the 16-year-old stopped at a gas station in Nashville to get a candy bar and Gatorade, his mother said. In the moments that followed, a chain of dramatic events left his family devastated, heartbroken and searching for answers.
More about Alexander Lara Delgado
His mother lost her only child early on the morning of Jan. 7 when she was awakened by a call that her son had been shot after his car was hit by another at the gas station and an altercation ensued. The happy, lovable and outgoing teenager left behind both parents, four paternal half-siblings and two stepsiblings.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, Alex is one of more than 1,300 children and teenagers in the United States who have been killed by gunfire so far in 2023. Firearms became the No. 1 cause of death among children and teens in America in 2020, surpassing car accidents, which have long been the leading cause of death among American youth.
Read more profiles of children who died from gunshots
“He was just starting to live his life,” said his mother’s longtime partner, Claudia Gutiérrez. “He wanted to be someone in life and they just took it away from him.”
01:38 – Source: CNN
Alexander was a choreographer and cowboy. His family remembers his last dance
Last August, the family celebrated Alex’s final milestone, the quinceañera, together. They watched as Alex cheered and accompanied Roselena as her Chambelan, her only court at the event.
“He taught the girl how to dance, he taught her how to spin, and he put on the girl’s dress to teach her how to move so that the dance would be perfect,” Delgado said.
Alex inherited his dancing skills from his mother, with whom he first began dancing at the age of 12.
Delgado remembers dancing for hours with her son at local family dance nights. Some of her fondest memories included dancing with him, teaching him different moves and how to hold a girl.
Growing up he was known as “Little Alex” in the house where he lived with his mother, her partner and their two children. It was always the three children together, with Alex being the youngest.
“Since they were little, they were each other’s only friends, all three of them,” Gutierrez said. “It’s devastating right now because they miss him.”
Courtesy of Eubdulia Delgado
Eubdulia and Claudia (right) celebrate the holidays with their children Alejandro, Alex and Vanessa when they were younger.
Alex had spent a lot of time with his stepbrother Alejandro, who taught him how to change a car tire, change the oil, and more. He was more interested in cars and wanted to be a mechanic when he grew up, his mother said.
The more he learned about cars, the more he wanted one. Alex saved up to buy a black 2005 Infiniti. It was a little rough and required some love. Alex worked tirelessly on it.
“Whatever it meant for him to be behind the wheel, he just loved driving his cars, just being free and exploring the freedom that every teenager wants to feel,” his father, Aniceto Lara Jr., said.
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Although Alex enjoyed these moments of freedom, he took on more and more responsibilities to help his family, his father said.
Alex cared for his mother and made a point of taking part-time jobs in construction so she didn’t have to work so hard, his father said. Alex had lived with his mother in Nashville most of his life, as his parents divorced when he was a baby.
“From a young age, he thought about getting a job to help his mother so that she wouldn’t have to work so much anymore,” Lara said. “That gave me great joy, that he was a good son.”
Alex also helped his father’s family and traveled to Mexico to reconnect with his father and spend time with his grandparents on their farm and orchard in Michoacán whenever he could. Lara was surprised at how easily Alex adapted to the changed environment, especially the lack of air conditioning and early morning chores.
Lara remembered a time when Alex and the family were working in the corn fields. These little hairy spines from the corn plants get on the skin and cause a burning rash that is uncomfortable, he said.
“He was there for all of us and did the hard work like anyone else would,” Lara said. “That was one of the things I admired, that he was just willing to go out there and do things no matter what. Just like a real cowboy.”
Courtesy of Eubdulia Delgado
Alex loved horseback riding and participating in activities around his grandparents’ farm in Mexico, his father said.
The memory of working together in the corn made Lara laugh. Others made him smile, like the many times his son went horseback riding. Alex enjoyed the activities around the farm, but he really loved horses, his father said.
“We had a lot of beautiful moments and they were all lost,” said Lara.
At home in Nashville, his mother says she misses the feeling of knowing Alex in his bedroom. His 10 pairs of shoes, including his prized Air Jordans, lie neat and pristine in their boxes – Alex didn’t want them to lose their shape.
His shoes were his trademark and they remind you of his flair.
As his mother looks at Alex’s favorite things lying untouched, she remembers their bond and how close they were. “I was his mother and his girlfriend,” she said.
“I remember him with fondness because we were always very happy,” Delgado said. “We were very close. He loved me very much.”
Alex’s final gift was the gift of life.
After the shooting, his heart was still beating strongly but there was no brain activity, doctors told his mother. The family kept Alex on life support so they could donate his organs – three children and one adult were recipients, his family said.
“I know that what I did was something important for all the families who could have a part of my son,” his mother said. “I did it for her with all my heart, and I know my son did too.”