Angel Gabriel Reyes Hernandez

He was trying to turn his life around. He moved in with his best friend’s family, the Najeras, and was working on getting his grades up and avoiding the wrong crowd.

“We’re not giving up on you, we love you,” the Najeras told him. Simona, his friend’s mom, asked what he wanted for Christmas. Silly socks, he said.

Angel Gabriel Reyes Hernandez, 15, was shot dead during a suspected robbery in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Dec. 23, 2018. He died in his friend’s arms. Simona bought Angel a jacket but she doesn’t know what to do with it: “We’re all so broken right now over this.”