COMMERCE CITY, Colo. — A Colorado teen, 16-year-old Envy Reinhardt, was shot and killed while sitting in a car Monday night, and Commerce City police have arrested another 16-year-old, who is now facing a manslaughter charge.
The shooting occurred near the intersection of Tichy Boulevard and Kearney Street, where Envy and three other teens were sitting in an SUV. According to Commerce City police, one of the boys inside the vehicle shot Envy. Two of them fled the scene, including the alleged shooter, while the driver rushed Envy to St. Joseph's Hospital. Envy was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.
Envy's mother Joy Herrera said she received a call from the hospital shortly after he arrived, informing her of his death.
“I expected to hear my son's voice, and I didn’t," Herrera said. "I never expected to hear he was gone."
Police are unsure how the teen ended up with the gun and they have yet to locate it. Authorities confirmed that all the teens involved in the shooting knew each other.
“All we want is the guy to say the truth. If it was an accident, OK, say it was an accident,” said Ray Reinhardt, Envy's father. "Where’s the gun? Why are you hiding the gun?”
Envy’s parents said he was kindhearted, artistic and driven. The teen was an exceptional athlete and started a small photo booth business at the age of 12.
Herrera said Envy dreamed of traveling the world and they had plans to visit Peru later this year. Herrera was also planning a trip to Dubai for when Envy graduated, to show him the world's "biggest city," a promise she intends to keep by releasing his ashes there.
“He knew how big this world was, and he really wanted to see it,” Herrera said.
Envy's unique name came from his father. The parents wanted their child to have a name that stood out and encompassed their dreams for him. Herrera said on the day he was born, they knew he would grow up to be the envy of other parents.
"We were going to create the most perfect human being that everybody just was gonna be so envious of and he really fit that,” Herrera said. "His middle name is unique too: Envy Astar. He was gonna be our star someday, and he out-shined that.”
While the police continue their investigation into how the gun was obtained and what went wrong that night, they emphasized the concerns around juveniles possessing firearms.
“Any death of a teenager is concerning,” said Joanna Small, public information officer for the Commerce City Police Department. “We still deal with juveniles with guns. It’s something that remains a big concern for us.”
Initially, the teen accused of shooting Envy was facing second-degree murder charges, but Commerce City police confirmed that the district attorney's office is now only pursuing a manslaughter charge. Although frustrated by the decision, Envy's parents said they will respect the results of the investigation.
The parents are asking the suspect teen to tell the whole truth about the night. They're frustrated by the teen's changing story.
"He was scared, but at the same time, like, that's your friend," said Reinhardt. "If that's your friend, tell the truth.”
Herrera said in the week since, the loss still doesn't feel real. The mother is left grieving the loss of her son, and trying to cope with the tragedy of never seeing her child grow up or fulfill his dreams.
"I'm a little afraid when it's going to hit me, because I truly think it's going to break me really hard," said Herrera, as she fought back tears. "He literally was my everything. I'm going to miss him so much.”
Reinhardt's sorrow is compounded by the fact that he is still struggling to break the news to Envy's 5-year-old brother, who keeps asking about his older sibling.
"I don’t know how to break the news to him. He knows something’s going on, but he doesn’t fully understand. It’s going to be devastating to have that conversation with him," Reinhardt said.
Envy's family continues to be showered with flowers and support from friends and family. They hope other families will educate themselves about gun safety.
Commerce City police said they're still investigating where the gun came from.
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