'Lump In My Chest Was Growing': Kendrick Castillo's Parents Mourn For Their Son
DENVER (CBS4) - John and Maria Castillo, parents of Highlands Ranch school shooting victim Kendrick Castillo, are still trying to process the fact that their son is gone.
"I'm sad, I'm mad. I have all these emotions. I feel like my life is blank as of yesterday," said John, talking with reporters from their home in Denver.
"It's like shutting the door you know? It's like, I'm not going to get something back ever. It's never going to be the same, and I wonder how we're going to weather, but I'm not surprised about what he did," he said.
Because what he did, was a direct reflection of who was.
"I'd like the world to know that this wasn't your average kid," he said, adding, "He was extraordinary."
When the Castillos heard that something was happening at the school and couldn't find Kendrick at the rec center they began to fear the worst.
"I was texting and I tried to FaceTime him, and I was getting nothing and my anxiety and my lump in my chest was growing. I just couldn't believe it, I couldn't believe that this was happening to my son."
On a tip they went to the hospital, hoping to find him there, instead they would learn their son had died at the school.
"One of the kids told me that like a flash he jumped up. She said, 'You know he's a hero, he saved me.'"
What he did, was extraordinary.
"She said, 'He jumped up and he ran.' She said, 'You couldn't even see how fast he was running, out the door and after this person.'"
His dad said that's the way they raised him. And while they wish they could have their son back, they know Kendrick wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
"I know that because of what he did others are alive and I thank God for that. I love him and he is a hero and he always will be."
Kendrick's family says donation sites set up for their family have not been authorized by them. They, instead, have set up an account with Wells Fargo Bank. The public can go to any branch location and ask to donate to the Kendrick Castillo Memorial Fund. Cash, checks or transfers are accepted.
HOW TO HELP: Highlands Ranch School Shooting
