Independent Lens

As the four of them sat in their car, a white truck pulled up in the opposing lane. The front passenger pulled out a gun, looked at Miss Suarez, and said, "You're gonna die today, bitch."

Yesenia

He just starts shooting. My sister just goes on top of me, but, unfortunately, I had already got shot. The bullet, like, 'cause it hit my lung first, so I was out of breath, so I couldn't talk.

Attorney

Miss Suarez drove down Orange Grove. The passenger of the white truck kept firing. Miss Suarez' vehicle was struck several times. She heard Marlene Castro in the back seat, yelling, "Yesenia's not breathing." It was just pain in my back. I mean, burning pretty much. And everything was just going in circles. I was losing my eyesight. Like, I felt like I was gonna die already. I was just in a coma for a week. I could just hear people, like, crying, praying for me. Everybody would tell me, like, "You're not gonna die. You're OK," but I felt like I was already dead. And when I woke up--back up, I knew I was already paralyzed. I mean, I didn't need nobody to tell me. I mean, I knew. I just wanted to hear it, you know? I mean, I feel like it's not fair, like, how people treat you, how they feel like you're less or...it's just--it's difficult. Like, you're just like them. I mean, you're not special or anything. I mean, I'm, like--I'm normal. It's just, I just can't walk. That's it. I feel so much anger towards the guys that did this to me. When they arrested him, I felt relieved. I mean, I don't want him to, like, be dead, or anything, you know? I just want him to pay a price, like, for what he did. So... I mean, I don't want him to stay there for the rest of his life, right? Probably, like...like 50 years. I don't know.

Jarad

We chose the way we lived. Like, if we didn't do the crime that we're accused of or we did, it's still that was the lifestyle we were around and that we chose. Can only get away with things for so long.