AUSTIN, Texas — Nick Kantor lost his brother, Doug Kantor, after he was struck by a bullet during a mass shooting on Downtown Austin's historic Sixth Street on June 12, 2021.
Two years later, Nick Kantor said it's still an adjustment to live without his brother.
"Every aspect of my life has been affected in some way or another," he said.
Nick Kantor opened up to KVUE about how he has been coping, admitting he had to move past a stigma and seek out therapy "because I just I realized that this wasn't something that I could just kind of take on the chin and keep moving."
Nick Kantor's brother, Doug Kantor, had been on vacation to Austin from New York when he was caught in the crossfire of a dispute between rival groups from Killeen. More than a dozen others were injured in the shooting.
De'Ondre Jermirris White, who was 19 at the time, was identified as the shooter and charged with murder and 14 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. White was given a $1 million bond by a Travis County judge and remains in custody.
Another suspect, 18-year-old Jeremiah Tabb, was arrested in connection with the mass shooting but released from jail in January 2022.
Nick Kantor said he doesn't hold resentment toward White and although he knows the shooter had no intention of killing his brother, he believes his actions were reckless.
"For my own peace, I have to forgive what was done because I can't harbor hatred for somebody who, you know, basically serves no purpose in my life anymore," Nick Kantor said.
Since the shooting, the City of Austin has taken steps to improve safety in the stretch of Sixth Street between Interstate 35 and Congress Avenue.
A month after the shooting, the city council passed a resolution that enacted the "Safer Sixth Street" initiative. The initiative introduced more HALO cameras and lighting and created a staging area for Austin-Travis County first responders in order for them to get to patients quicker.
Nick Kantor and his family have praised the efforts of Austin police officers for their response on the night of the shooting but have put blame on the City due to the nature of the relationship with the police department at the time. They have also expressed frustrations toward Travis County District Attorney José Garza for how his office prosecutes suspects.
"The City dragged their feet for so long and now it's too little too late. I mean, in the long run, yes, it's going to help, but it's not enough even right now," Nick Kantor said.
He and his family have a hired an attorney and have been in contact with Councilmember Mackenzie Kelly (District 6).
Nick Kantor is also in the process of starting a charity in honor of his brother, which will be aimed at helping grieving families look for counsel.
"I want to be able to provide other people with funding who've experienced the same thing that we have – to have a lawyer to go after what justice is in their vision because that's what we're doing," Nick Kantor said.
As he and his family pull through another year without Doug Kantor, Nick Kantor said he only hopes people remember his brother.
"The thing that kind of separated my brother from most people is my brother thought very deeply about a lot of things, and he was extremely inquisitive about people," Nick Kantor said. "I really hope that people see my brother for who he was."