HOUSTON — It’s a feeling no parent wants to experience on Christmas: Mourning the death of their child.
Laura Natalya Rodriguez was killed Tuesday. Houston police said she was shot by her younger brother who was showing off a gun.
Police are calling the shooting an accident.
This Christmas, Laura Lara is talking about the pain of living both sides of the tragedy. Lara described her daughter Natalya as unique, spontaneous and outspoken.
“She never let anything hold her back,” Lara said. “If she wanted something she was going to get it.”
Pictures from past Christmas’ show Natalya was super close to her family, especially her baby brother.
“They looked for each other for everything. They supported each other. They played around a lot. They enjoyed each other,” Lara said.
However, this Christmas is the hardest the family has ever had to endure.
Lara said she was working when her oldest daughter called her to tell her Natalya has been shot by her youngest son.
The 19-year-old senior at Syracuse was pronounced dead inside her parent’s north Houston home.
Houston police said Natalya’s 18-year-old brother was handling a gun when it fired a shot, hitting her in the neck.
“I can only imagine what he’s feeling. But, he’s just torn apart. That was like his best friend. That was his sister,” Lara said.
She believes in her heart that this was a tragic accident.
“It hurts that she’s no longer with us but what hurts me is that my son has to live with what he did,” Lara said.
Now, she’s trapped in a parent’s worst nightmare.
"They’re both my children,” Lara said. “Both of them I love the same. It’s hard. It’s hard on the family. But it can happen to anybody.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family.
Funeral services for Natalya are set for Dec. 30.