'HAD TO DO SOMETHING': Cape Coral mom starts nonprofit after daughter's shooting

CAPE CORAL, Fla. — For nearly two years, Luz Rincon has grieved privately.

Now, in an exclusive interview with FOX 4’s Shari Armstrong, she is speaking publicly for the first time about the loss of her 15-year-old daughter, Kayla Rincon-Miller — and how her unimaginable heartbreak has grown into a mission to reach teens before they make the kind of choices that change lives forever.

The Night of March 17, 2024

On March 17, 2024, Rincon dropped Kayla off at a movie theater in Cape Coral.

Just hours later, her phone rang.

“The first thing I heard was Kayla got shot,” Luz said.

At first, she didn’t believe it.

“I thought it was a joke. Until I heard her voice in the background say, ‘Am I going to die?’”

Rincon rushed out of her home, and first headed to the theater, where Kayla was supposed to be. But Kayla wasn’t there. She later learned her daughter had gone with friends to McDonald’s after the movie.

Using her daughter’s phone location, Rincon tracked her to a scene filled with law enforcement officers.

“Automatically they tell us to head up to the hospital,” she said.

Kayla was taken into surgery. Two hours later, the family received the news no parent is prepared to hear.

“We get the news that they did all that they could do…and she passed away," Luz said.

She said Kayla had been shot in the chest.

“We were just… in such a shock,” Rincon said. “We didn’t get to say our goodbyes.”

Life After the Cameras

Nearly two years later, Rincon said the grief hasn’t eased — it has simply changed.

“The heart gets heavy sometimes. It’s your kid. You’re a mom. You miss their voice… you miss hearing them… you miss hugging them," Luz said.

Luz Rincon

She describes the journey as “a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings,” and said her faith has carried her through the darkest moments.

“I am a woman that believes strongly in God. If it wasn’t for Him… I think I would’ve been a mess," Luz said.

Two teens are charged in Kayla’s murder: Christopher Horne Jr. and Thomas Stein.

In a plea deal, Horne Jr. plead no contest. In exchange, he will testify against Stein during his trial in April. Horne Jr. is expected to be sentenced in May, which was scheduled on Feb. 24.

When asked if she has forgiven those charged with killing Kayla, Luz was candid.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve fully forgiven," she said.

What she feels most, she said, is sadness.

Luz said, “Not only did you took a life. But you’ve taken your life into… empty walls. For what? Was it worth it?”

She believes different decisions that night could have changed everything.

“I think if these kids would’ve been doing something else… Kayla would’ve been here," Luz said.

Turning Grief Into Purpose

In the months after her daughter’s death, Rincon said she felt compelled to act — not out of anger, but out of urgency.

“I started just feeling such a need to do something," Luz said.

Andy Cunningham

Alongside her daughter Tatiana, Kayla’s friends and Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers, Rincon launched Kayla’s House — a nonprofit focused on teen crime awareness and gun violence prevention.

The organization aims to open conversations with both teens and parents about choices, consequences and accountability.

“Parents and family… the responsibility falls on us, too,” Rincon said, encouraging adults to secure firearms and stay engaged in their children’s lives.

“We’re not going to save the world…but maybe just one life," she said.

Kayla’s House is planning its first community event, featuring food, a DJ, free haircuts and young business leaders speaking with teens about positive paths forward.

Kayla's House

Rincon hopes a young person might look at someone on stage and think, “Hey… that could be me.”

‘Kayla’s death cannot be in vain’

Rincon said she ultimately hopes to grow Kayla’s House into a physical youth center in the same community that has supported her family since 2024.

She said strangers still recognize her.

“I’ve even bumped into people and they’re like, ‘Are you Kayla’s mom?’ That’s helped," Luz said.

But even with the support, one question still lingers.

“Why did this happen? Why my kid?”

Luz Rincon

When asked what she believes Kayla would think about the nonprofit created in her name, Rincon smiled through tears.

“I think she would be very proud… that we’re not allowing her death to be in vain," she said.

As the legal process continues, Rincon said her focus is clear: honoring her daughter’s life by working to ensure another family doesn’t endure the same loss.