San Antonio police say Ethan Martinez was killed just before 9 p.m. on Dec. 30, 2023 after leaving his apartment near Ray Ellison Boulevard.
SAN ANTONIO — Two years after 15-year-old Ethan Martinez was shot and killed outside his apartment complex on the city’s southwest side, his mother says she is still waiting for answers — and for an arrest.
San Antonio police say Martinez was killed just before 9 p.m. on Dec. 30, 2023, after leaving his apartment near Ray Ellison Boulevard to meet several people in the parking lot. Investigators say Martinez planned to sell vape cartridges when gunfire broke out moments later.
No arrests have been made in the case.
Stephanie Solis, Martinez’s mother, said tips continue to come in through Crime Stoppers, but police have told her they need more evidence before making an arrest.
“He was our best friend, he was our pride and joy, and we miss him so much,” Solis said.
Inside Solis’ home, memories of her son fill nearly every room. Martinez had turned 15 just 13 days before his death.
“He wasn’t gang affiliated. He didn’t hang around a bad crowd,” Solis said. “But over a comment, they felt like that was worth taking his life?”
Solis believes her son was set up following a comment he made to a group of teens. Police say surveillance video shows several witnesses were in the area at the time of the shooting.
While an arrest would not bring her son back, Solis said accountability would bring some peace.
“It’s never going to bring my baby back, but it will give us some kind of peace,” she said.
In the years since her son’s death, Solis said she has turned her grief into action. She has helped organize a support group for mothers who have lost children to gun violence.
“I have turned my pain into purpose,” she said. “The group is growing fast, and there’s been so much crime lately. It’s sad, honestly.”
Despite building a community of support, Solis said the pain of losing her son has not faded.
“It’s tough to think that our babies are a case file number,” she said. “My Ethan Xavier Martinez was a person. He was a human being. So we have to stay on top of it and make sure he gets his justice.”
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest. Tips can be submitted anonymously here.