Anaheim High student Juan Carlos Reynaga, 17, cried when his brother, Gabriel Reynaga, 22, gave him the keys to their late father’s white 2007 Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck shortly after his death nine months ago, the elder sibling said. He also swore to honor their dad’s memory by staying out of trouble and working hard to build a future.

“The first thing he did was go out and buy a detailing kit so he could take care of the truck,” Gabriel Reynaga said. “He always made sure to clean it on Fridays so that it would be ready for the weekend.”

The teenager was making good on his promise, his older brother said during an interview Sunday. He was a varsity offensive lineman, and still managed to score decent grades. After graduating, he wanted to become certified as a crane operator.

Juan Reynaga was walking home from his shift at Walmart when a vehicle with two people inside pulled up to him on 1100 block of Acacia Street, just south of Romneya Drive, at about 9:45 p.m. Friday, July 8. They asked him twice if he was in a gang, and he said no, his brother said. He wasn’t lying, according to relatives and Anaheim police.

He turned around and had walked about 10 feet away when at least one person in the vehicle got out and shot at him five times. He was struck in the leg and neck, and died later that evening at a hospital.

A detailed description of the suspects or what they were riding in was not available, and no arrests had been announced as of Sunday afternoon.

“God be with them,” Gabriel Reynaga said of whoever was responsible for gunning down his little brother. “I might hear something from my family for saying that, but maybe they were youngsters who couldn’t fully understand what they were doing. I want there to be consequences. But I can’t bring him back, and I don’t want to be angry for the rest of my life.”

Juan Reynaga was described as well liked, and had a girlfriend. He is survived by his mother and nine siblings, his brother said.

They have come together to console each other, and plan to offer Mexican dishes like menudo, pozole, tacos and tamales at a fundraiser for Juan Reynaga’s funeral expenses. It will begin at about 5 p.m. Friday at the apartments he lived in, just down the street from a makeshift memorial of candles marking where the young man was killed. A GoFundMe campaign has also been created to support his family.

A private viewing will take place Saturday.

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