‘We try to keep going.’ Family and friends hold vigil for teen killed in shooting a year ago.
Friends and family of a Lexington high school student who died after being found with a gunshot wound inside a flipped vehicle last year gathered Friday night to remember him.
Sergio Villarados, 17, was found inside a flipped vehicle on Price Road at Fairdale Drive alongside the Lexington Cemetery on Oct. 29, 2021. A 19-year-old woman who was also in the car suffered a gunshot wound that was not life-threatening. Police said the incident was thought to have started on the 700 block of Breathitt Avenue.
Days after the shooting, his family held a protest outside the Fayette County Circuit Courthouse, as they sought answers and justice in Sergio’s death.
They are still waiting.
No one has been charged in connection with the shooting of Sergio. A police spokeswoman said in an email that the investigation is still open and ongoing.
On Friday night, a small crowd of friends and family gathered around a cross that marks the site where he was found to offer prayers, sing songs and release white heart-shaped balloons in his memory. Sergio is buried nearby, on the other side of Lexington Cemetery.
His father, Sergio Arellano, said he believes the shooting was gang-related.
“There’s always going to be drugs,” he said. “These gangs, they’re different. They don’t care to kill. They don’t care to do anything.”
He said he’s concerned about violence in Lexington, and he said his daughter was at Henry Clay High School Thursday when a student brought a loaded gun to campus.
“We try to keep going,” he said. “It’s so scary. It’s every day shootings. I feel nervous every day.”
Sergio was a sophomore at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School. His cousin, Jose Lopez, said he loved to play soccer.
“He was just calm, peaceful,” he said. “He didn’t mess with anybody, really.”
Sergio’s aunt, Elvia Villarados, said he was interested in becoming an EMT.
She said she was happy with the turnout at the vigil.
“We thought that a lot of people would forget, but they didn’t,” she said. “We didn’t know that he had that many friends.”
Police asked that anyone with information call the Lexington Police Department at (859) 258-3600. Anonymous tips can be submitted to Bluegrass Crime Stoppers by calling (859) 253-2020, visiting Bluegrasscrimestoppers.com or using the P3 tips app at P3tips.com.
This story was originally published October 28, 2022 at 10:12 PM.
