‘He was a great soul.’ Family of teenager killed in Tacoma say his organs helped 6 lives
TACOMA – Jonathan Tovar would often tell his mother that his biggest goal was to work hard so he could buy her a house. He wanted a better life for her and was determined to make that possible.
Tovar, 16, was one of five children. He attended Oakland High School in Tacoma, Tovar’s oldest sister, Clara Tovar, told the News Tribune .
On Jan. 25, Tovar was fatally shot near the 4400 block of Portland Avenue East in Tacoma. He died from a gunshot wound to the head, and his manner of death is listed as homicide, The News Tribune previously reported.
A now-16-year-old was arrested in King County in September. He was 15 when the shooting occurred.
Pierce County prosecutors charged the teen with two counts of first-degree murder, second-degree murder and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, court records show.
The News Tribune generally does not name juveniles charged with a crime. That could change if prosecutors charge them as adults. A hearing is scheduled soon to determine if the teenager will be charged as an adult.
Tacoma officers were dispatched that day at about 1:30 a.m. for reports of a shooting. Tovar was taken to the hospital and succumbed to his injuries six days later, according to a Tacoma Police Department news release.
A witness told police that two people approached the teenager and shot him multiple times before they fled in a vehicle, the News Tribune reported in January. The investigation is ongoing, according to police.
Clara Tovar said she learned about her brother’s death after she received a call from her mother who was crying and saying, “Jonathan, Jonathan.”
“I immediately was shocked, and I got dressed as soon as I could,” Clara Tovar said. “Since it was literally down the street, it didn’t take me long to get there.”
Clara Tovar’s mother, a close family friend and Jonathan Tovar’s oldest brother were there. She said that their brother witnessed the shooting from the window since the incident took place near their mother’s apartment.
Clara Tovar said she felt many emotions, including anger and happiness, when prosecutors charged the 16-year-old teen in her brother’s death.
“There being an arrest in nine months just kind of gave me some peace in a way. I like to take it as also a sign, like my brother just telling us everything’s going to be OK,” she said.
Clara Tovar said her family decided that her brother would be an organ donor. Since then, his organs have helped save six lives.
“I feel like he had such a big impact because the amount of support and love my family and I got (after his death), it just made me realize how much of an impact he had,” she said. “Whether it was him saying, ‘Hi,’ or him helping the neighbor with taking out garbage or little things like that was what made what happened have an impact on everybody.”
Jonathan had been working since he was about 13. He was a restaurant host and bought himself a car. He would often say to his mother in Spanish that she was not going to be working her entire life. At some point, he would take over, Clara Tovar said.
“I’d like for everyone to know that he was a very educated man, handsome, super smart, he loved working for his own things. He loved his family and friends, he was a great soul,” Tovar’s sister, Ana, wrote in a message to the News Tribune.