About a month after a young man was shot while working at a burger restaurant in Oxnard, his mother spoke exclusively with NBC Los Angeles Friday about his recovery, his faith and the life-changing challenges their family now faces.
“To me, God has a plan for him,” Brenda Cervantes said about her son Jonathan “JJ” Vasquez Jr. “That is what we are holding to; that’s what he is holding onto every day. He says, ‘Mom, I have a purpose.’ Repeats it every day. Says, ‘I’m strong. I’m worthy.'”
On Aug. 28, JJ was on his lunch break while working at the Five Guys on Portico Way when gunfire erupted outside. An altercation involving a 16-year-old suspect and two other people escalated into a shooting around 8:30 p.m., according to the Oxnard Police Department.
One of those bullets pierced the restaurant’s glass door, striking JJ in the spine and leaving him paralyzed. Police say he was not the intended target.
JJ’s family says doctors told them he is not expected to walk again.
“There is no reason for a young person, a 16-year-old, to have access to a gun,” Cervantes said. “If it can happen to JJ, it can happen to anybody. It’s not just his life that changed. It’s all of us.”
Cervantes described JJ as a good student with big dreams, including pursuing a career in finance. His mother said JJ was working to save money to buy himself a truck.
It’s unclear if the victim was a worker or a customer. This video was broadcast during the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026.
While his future now looks very different, his mother says one thing hasn’t changed: his positive attitude and faith.
“He is always telling me, ‘Don’t hold grudges,'” Cervantes said. “Even through this whole mess of things, he says, ‘Leave it to God.’ Anyone that meets him, he wins their hearts over.”
For JJ and his family, the road ahead is long and uncertain. But his mother says she’s holding onto hope and is determined to give her son the best life possible.
“My goal is to give him the most independence possible, and the most dignity for the rest of his life,” Cervantes said.
Oxnard police say the 16-year-old suspect was arrested, but his identity has not been released.