Family grieves after 18-year-old, whose mother was murdered 12 years ago, shot and killed in Alief

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- In the front yard of a home in southwest Houston, family and friends of Christopher Aguilar gathered and grieved.

"He was a good boy. He did not deserve to die like this. He was just a baby. It was not his time," Aguilar's aunt, Mayra Ortega, told ABC13.

Aguilar was shot and killed on Lucky Star Drive in the Alief area Saturday morning. Investigators with the Harris County Sheriff's Office said it happened during a robbery attempt. Two men approached him asking for money and then shot him, investigators said. Aguilar, who was sitting in his SUV, then lost control and drove into someone's garage.

SEE ORIGINAL REPORT: 18-year-old shot before crashing into home near George Bush Park dies from injuries, HCSO says

Back at his house, his cousin was waiting on him.

"My little sister went to McDonald's with him. She got dropped off and we never saw him again," Nancy Ortega, Aguilar's cousin, explained. "That morning he was supposed to take me to work and he wasn't answering my grandma's phone calls."

"It's just terrible. You see him one day and don't see him the next and you're like, 'How can it happen so quick?'" Mario Aguilar, the victim's younger brother, said.

It is a grief the family already knows. The brothers lived with their aunt and grandmother because their mother, Lina Ortega, was murdered in southwest Houston 12 years ago. They shared a photo of the ones they've now lost.

"We didn't expect to lose another person. Our family gets shorter and shorter and it hurts," Nancy said.

Lina Ortega's case has never been solved.

"This time, we do want to get justice. He deserves it," his aunt said.

The 18-year-old was looking forward to finishing high school, his family said. He talked about getting married and having a family. They are raising money for funeral expenses through a GoFundMe and asking for the public's help.

"If someone knows anything, please come forward," the family said.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Harris County Sheriff's Office Homicide Unit at 713-274-9100 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS.

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