Inset: Aden Aguilar. Background: The California Target where Aden Aguilar was stabbed to death (KGET/YouTube).
A young California man was stabbed to death inside a Target after he tried to break up a fight, according to his family.
"He was trying to help," said Aden Aguilar's mother, Aldennisha Rowel, in an interview this week with local NBC affiliate KGET about her 20-year-old son, who was killed last Friday.
"I'm so distraught. I'm so hurt," Rowel said. "I can't eat. I can't sleep. I lost my baby…He was more than just my son, he was my best friend."
Aguilar was allegedly stabbed by 33-year-old Brett Oleary that Friday night at the Valley Plaza Target after a fight spilled into the store following an "altercation" between several people in the parking lot, including Oleary and Aguilar. Oleary is charged with first-degree murder.
"The investigation revealed the victim and suspect were involved in an altercation in the parking lot, which continued into the Target store, where the victim became injured," Bakersfield Police Department officials say in a press release sent to Law&Crime. "A knife believed to be used in the offense was located nearby."
Police have not publicly said what started the altercation that led to Aguilar being stabbed. Details about Aguilar's involvement have only been released by his family.
"My beloved son, Aden Aguilar, was tragically killed while trying to stop a fight," Rowel alleges in a GoFundMe description.
One of Aguilar's friends, who had been with him that night, delivered the devastating news to Rowel, according to KGET.
"I was like, where was he stabbed?" Rowel recounted. "And he pointed [to the chest area], and I was like, is he okay? The friend said 'I think he is all right.'"
Aguilar was taken to a local hospital after the incident, but died hours later, according to his family.
"He was just trying to help," Rowel repeated.
Court records reportedly show that Oleary has a criminal record dating back to 2013, with previous charges including assault with a deadly weapon, child cruelty, robbery, theft and terrorist-related crimes.
While heartbroken over what happened, Rowel told KGET that she wants to try to forgive Oleary.
"I'm not mad at you," she said. "I don't want to spread hate. I forgive you. Because … I'm not mad at the person who did it. I forgive him. I heard he was remorseful and that he was sorry."