SAN ANTONIO — A 17-year-old aspiring barber was fatally shot over the weekend at a graduation party on the city's south side, leaving his family and community in mourning and searching for answers.

Hector Javier Vargas, affectionately known as "Baby Hector," was found in the street with multiple gunshot wounds early Sunday in the 400 block of Tidewind Street, close to Loop 410 and Pleasanton Road.

"She just said, 'Tía, somebody shot him. He's not here. He's dead,'" recalled his aunt, Nadia Vargas.

The youngest boy of six siblings, Hector was known for his constant check-ins with family and his ever-present smile.

"It was always 'I love you' after every message or after every text. Like, 'How are you doing, tía? I love you,'" Nadia said.

Credit: Nadia Vargas Hector Vargas, pictured w

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