John Paul Barajas, Reporter
Gavin Nesbitt, Photojournalist
Published:
John Paul Barajas, Reporter
Gavin Nesbitt, Photojournalist
SAN ANTONIO – The family of a 1-year-old boy who died of a dog attack is one step closer to laying their son to rest. Jiryiah Johnson’s family held his funeral on Thursday.
“I’ve been trying to be strong and be the rock of the family and be supportive of my lady, but I’m not good,” Julian Johnson, Jiryiah’s father, said. “It hasn’t gotten any easier.”
Jiryiah died from an attack by his babysitter’s three dogs on Oct. 7.
Heather Rodriguez, described as a family friend, was left in charge of watching Jiryiah. Instead, Rodriguez left him alone with her 13-year-old daughter.
Johnson said he wants answers from Rodriguez.
“‘Why did you decide not to call anybody and say you had to go to work?’” Johnson said. “‘Why is it OK that you want to save these dogs after what they did?’”
Johnson said his family had no prior issues with Rodriguez but didn’t know the dogs would be kept inside while his son was under Rodriguez’s care.
Rodriguez is facing three charges: two of them are separate injury to a child charges and the third is an abandoning or endangering a child charge.
A judge decided Thursday for the three dogs to be euthanized during a dangerous dog hearing. Rodriguez has 10 days to appeal the ruling.
“Change needs to happen now because people have been dying left and right, getting attacked left and right by dogs,” Johnson said.
Thursday’s hearing was a civil matter and didn’t involve the criminal case where Rodriguez faces the three charges.
As Johnson greeted family, friends and strangers at Thursday’s visitation, he also had a request.
“I want my son to be remembered by his smile, his laugh,” Johnson said. “The fact that he was loud, and he told everybody, ‘Hi.’ And he blew kisses.”
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John Paul Barajas is a reporter at KSAT 12. Previously, he worked at KRGV 5 in the Rio Grande Valley. He has a degree from the University of Houston. In his free time, he likes to get a workout in, spend time on the water and check out good eats and drinks.
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Gavin Nesbitt is an award-winning photojournalist and video editor who joined KSAT in September 2021. He won a Lone Star Emmy, a Regional Murrow, a Texas Broadcast News Award, a Headliners Foundation Silver Showcase Award and 2 Telly Awards for his work covering the deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
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