The Texas teenager who was shot by a San Antonio police officer in a McDonald’s parking lot is awake and smiling after six weeks of sedation, an emergency tracheotomy, and other surgeries.
Erik Cantu, 17, who was shot at more than 10 times by rookie officer James Brennand, 25, can be seen smiling alongside his father, Erik Cantu Sr, in the update posted to the GoFundMe earlier this month.
The fundraiser, which has raised more than $43,000 for the teenager’s medical bills, has also been used to update friends, family, and the public on his condition.
‘After 6 long weeks and by the grace of God along with all the prayers sent by the masses we are emerging victoriously from this unfortunate event,’ the update read.
Erik Cantu, 17, is awake and smiling after weeks of being sedated and undergoing multiple surgeries for his injuries
Body camera footage from the shooting on October 2 shows how Brennand fired a total of 10 shots at Cantu, who was eating McDonald’s at the time, after suspecting him of stealing the car
He was arrested on October 11 on two counts of aggravated assault but a public servant but was released on a $200,000 bond
The teenager had been shot while sitting in the fast food parking lot alongside a female companion on October 2 and has spent the last several weeks recovering.
Cantu Sr said in the November 11 update that he is ‘one proud father’ and that Erik has been fighting ‘so hard to be here.’
‘You’re the first to see this smile,’ the father wrote in the update.
Despite the leaps and bounds of progress the teen has made, Cantu Sr said that the teen still has a long road ahead.
‘We still have one more potential surgery and weeks and months and years of rehab but he’s proving he can do it. Thank you all for being there for us through this journey for Erik,’ the post read.
The dad also included the hashtags ‘justice for Erik’ and ‘God is AMAZING.’
Erik Cantu Sr, seen above in an interview with Good Morning America, said in a November 11 update that his son is awake and recovering after weeks in the hospital
Cantu Sr says there is still at least one more surgery ahead for the teenager
Brenand pulled up behind Cantu at around 8.45pm on October 1, activating his emergency lights before the car sped away and moved to the left
In early November the teen was removed from life support after more than a month of using the devices to help him breathe and maintain bodily functions, according to KSAT.
‘Erik is no longer on life support; however, he still is receiving high-flow oxygen via tracheostomy,’ Erik’s mom, Victoria Casarez, told the outlet.
Open decortication, a surgical procedure to peel away the scar peel that formed on the lung so it can re-expand, was performed on Wednesday,’ Casarez said.
‘Erik tolerated the surgery very well.’
In an interview with Good Morning America last month, Cantu Sr and Casarez called upon law enforcement officials to charge the Brennand with attempted murder for the shooting.
After the shooting, Brennard was fired from the force and charged with aggravated assault.
He posted the $200,000 bond ordered by a Texas judge and remains free.
Just hours before the Good Morning America interview, Cantu Sr and Casarez announced in a press conference that they were considering filing a civil suit against Brennard.
According to his LinkedIn page, Brennand previously served in the US Army as a military dog handler. He enlisted in 2016. Brennand was stationed outside of Seatte
Following the shooting, DailyMail.com exclusively revealed that the former police officer had put handcuffs on the teenager as she was gasping for air.
Erik was rushed to the hospital in critical condition and underwent multiple surgeries after sustaining several gunshot wounds.
Brennand had come into contact with Cantu the night before, attempting to pull him over.
The officer had pulled up behind Cantu at around 8.45pm on October 1, activating his emergency lights before the car sped away and moved to the left.
The officer did not engage in a pursuit but noted that the license plates of the vehicle came back to another car.
When he was growing up, his parents revealed, Cantu actually wanted to be a police officer, according to friends and family members
In late October, it was reported that the police officer approached Erik’s vehicle, believing it to be stolen.
In a statement to officers, Cantu’s teenage female passenger said that she was anxious to get back into his car the following evening after being ‘upset’ by his actions.
She said that she told Erik she didn’t want to get ‘arrested or shot at’ because of him, but eventually allowed him to pick her up from a friend’s house.
Brennand suspected that the car was stolen and demanded that Cantu get out the following night. Cantu then attempted to put his car in reverse.
But the door caught Brennand, who rapidly fired five times into the driver’s side of the vehicle, wounding Cantu.
Brennand slapped handcuffs on Cantu after he opened fire and while the teen was on the pavement gasping for air
Rookie cop James Brennand shot Erik Cantu, 17, on October 2 while he was eating his fast food in his car with a female companion in Texas
Cantu continued to try to drive away, but Brennand continued shooting, firing a total of 10 shots, four or five of which hit the teen in his liver, diaphragm, bicep, chest, and stomach.
Graphic body-worn footage of the incident shows Cantu being shot as Brennand handcuffed him while he was seriously injured.
Brennand, a probationary officer with seven-month experience, was fired from his job on October 4 and will not be able to rejoin even if he is cleared. He will appear in court on November 23.
Prosecutors dismissed criminal charges against Cantu so his family could be at his side while he recovers in the hospital.
At a press conference earlier this month, Cantu’s parents demanded that Brennand be charged with attempted murder, claiming it was a ‘racist’ attack.
They claim Bexar County District Attorney Joe Gonzales told them that Brennand assumed their son was a suspect because he was ‘a Hispanic kid with a bowl-shaped haircut.’
At a news conference Cantu’s parents revealed that they are considering filing a civil suit against the former officer as well as the entire City of San Antonio
They added that they had ‘lost count’ of the number of surgeries that he had, and the teen has now spent 31 days in the hospital in critical condition.
Famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump alleges that Brennand violated Cantu’s Fourth Amendment rights by assuming Cantu had stolen the vehicle he was driving.
‘That’s it,’ Crump said. ‘That’s why we’re here. That’s why [Brennand] shot 10 times.’
The family also revealed that there is more body cam footage that has not been released to the public and is demanding Brennand’s bail be revoked.
San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said he believes ‘there is no question in anybody’s mind looking at that video that the shooting is not justified’ and that the body cam footage is ‘horrific’ to watch.