Family mourns late father of four, days after suspect charged with his murder

OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - Oakland police say 19-year-old Donovan Johnson is behind bars and facing charges for the shooting death of Chrystian Valdez. 

"It's hard, it feels like it just happened yesterday," said Chrystian Valdez.  

The couple shared three children. Valdez had another daughter who lives in Mexico.

"Why did he cause so much pain? We were a beautiful family. It's like a bad dream," said Valdez's widow.  

In August of last year, Valdez was killed. Police say multiple shots were fired in the 4500 block of International Boulevard. That’s where investigators believe Johnson and others tried to rob a group of people.  

Police say Valdez was struck by the gunfire as he was waiting for a rideshare vehicle. "He was waiting for Uber, but he never got a chance to get in to come home," said Valdez's widow.

Investigators say surveillance video from that night shows three people running away after the robbery attempt and shooting. 

Valdez's widow says life has been extremely tough for her and her children, who are having a hard time in school and just living life since losing their father.  

"She always asks, ‘Where is daddy? Why did he leave us alone?’ It's hard for me to hear that all the time. It just breaks my heart," says Valdez widow. 

She says knowing Johnson is off the streets brings her a bit of relief. She plans to attend his trial so she can ask him why he killed her husband and also let him know she won't forget but does forgive him.  

Valdez's widow is very grateful to her husband's former employer Bay Area Beverage Company for creating a GoFundMe account and helping her during this tough time. She's also grateful to the men and women of the Oakland Police Department.  

"They did a good job. It was just five months and they already caught that person," said Valdez's widow.

Johnson is scheduled to enter a plea when he returns to court on February 13.