Unimaginable grief is gripping the parents of two young men shot and killed last week in San Marcos.
Jesus Garcia, 19, and Nicholas Tiefer, 20, were shot last Wednesday along West Borden Road. Deputies found Garcia on the ground near the entrance of a nearby park with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to his upper body, according to deputies. Tiefer was found in the passenger seat of an SUV that had come to a stop partially on the curb, perpendicular to traffic. He had an apparent gunshot wound to his neck, deputies said.
No suspect has been identified and investigators haven't confirmed any leads.
Tiefer was a former football standout at San Marcos High School. His family says he was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time last Wednesday afternoon on West Borden Road.
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"I miss you, kid. I really do," Nick's father Rick Tiefer said from his home Tuesday. "He was my best buddy."
Garcia was a fellow San Marcos High grad who, like his friend Nick, enjoyed playing sports.
"If the person that did this horrible crime is listening, turn themselves in," Garcia's sister Maria Curtis said. "Spare our family to try and figure out why this horrible thing happened."
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In the days since the shooting, friends and family have visited a curbside memorial to pay their respects to the two young men. A memorial also shines in Rick Tiefer's home.
Choking up, he talked about how much he missed his son and how tough the loss has been.
“I’ve been praying and shaking, physically ill, I've got to calm down," Rick Tiefer said.
The Vista dad says his 20-year-old son left home last Wednesday morning, and he never imagined their routine goodbye would be the final words they'd say to each other.
“'God bless you! Jesus loves you. Watch your surroundings and make good and prudent decisions. And please go have a lot of fun,'" Rick Tiefer said recounting his parting wisdom to his son that morning. "He said, 'Don't worry pops, I'll see you in a few.'"
But Nick Tiefer never came home.
His family learned hours later that he had been airlifted to the hospital, and they stayed by his side for four days as he fought for his life.
“We didn’t lose hope. We had faith that we could bring him up," Rick Tiefer said. "If Jesus could raise Lazarus after four days, there's hope," Rick Tiefer said.
That hope turned to heartache when the family made the decision to take him off life support over the weekend.
“I’d give anything to bring him back," his father said. "Children shouldn't go before their parents. It’s out of order."
Online fundraisers have been set up for both families. The Tiefers say they’ve donated their son's organs to Lifeshare, so his death can possibly mean life for someone else.
