The community in San Antonio’s North Side is visibly shaken. People in the area are still coming to terms with the tragic death of 15-year-old Jesse Balderrama. Reports indicate authorities are now looking into the matter, as it appeared that the two-time Junior Olympic boxing champion had shot himself.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Jesse’s 38-year-old stepfather also sustained life-threatening injuries after he reportedly tried to take the gun. While the teenager’s passing has left the people in the area in shock, it has also left the city’s thriving boxing community in mourning. Jesse has been described as having won the STABA Junior Olympic championship twice.
According to multiple outlets, the shooting involving Jesse and his stepfather took place six days ago. Officers arrived at the scene on Sunday around 5 p.m. and found the body of a 15-year-old boy, later identified as Jesse Balderrama.
The teenage boxing prodigy was initially reported as missing. But he subsequently returned home, where police officials revealed he shot himself. More tragedy unfolded when his stepfather tried to get the firearm away from Jesse. But in doing so, authorities reported the 38-year-old man suffered life-threatening injuries, after which he was taken to a hospital.
“The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office had not yet formally determined his cause and manner of death as of Monday,” People.com reported, quoting the San Antonio Express-News.
Additional reports suggest that some family members were apparently inside the residence, in a separate room in the 500 block of Marchmont Lane, when the incident occurred. Shocked, one of the neighbors recalled seeing Jesse’s mother.
“She had blood on her arm and just fell on the floor,” they said. “I’d never thought it (would) end up this way.”
According to them, Jesse had a history of mental health issues. But he seemed to be recovering.
“I would see him, and it seemed like he was more upbeat,” one said.
Another added, “There were a couple of times where I think he tried to overdose, so I figured something in that nature is going on again.”
According to a report shared by News4SA, a call history of San Antonio PD dating back to February suggests it received a call for a reported overdose from the same address.
Regardless of events leading up to Jesse’s death, the fact remains that a young, talented life has been cut short abruptly.
Meanwhile, tributes poured in as news of Jesse Balderrama’s death spread.
Jesse Balderrama: Remembering a young fighter taken too soon
Recalling the teenage boxer, the head trainer at Top Dog Boxing, Jerry Zuniga, said that Jesse’s loss weighs heavily not only on the family and the gym but on the larger boxing community as well.
“Boogie was an amazing child, an amazing kid; he was still a kid. He had a big heart, a huge heart. His will to compete in this gym and wanting to win, not just for himself, but for the team, was something that all the kids and the coaches here look up to,” Zuniga said.
The gym has set up a GoFundMe page for the family.
“Every fighter needs a corner. Right now, Boogie’s family needs ours,” it read. “Our Top Dog Boxing family is heartbroken over the sudden and devastating loss of Jesse ‘Boogie’ Balderrama. Boogie was one of those kids who was impossible not to love. He was funny, full of personality, and had a way of making people smile.
“And if you knew Boogie, you knew that boy loved to eat. He would joke that he would choose Chick-fil-A over any fight.”
Top Dog Boxing plans to hold a candlelight vigil in Jesse’s memory on October 3.