A candlelight vigil was held Thursday night for Andres “Andy” Sanchez, the UCSB student who passed away Sunday due to blood loss from a deep laceration in his arm. Over 150 people stood in solidarity for two hours at the Associated Students Pardall Center to honor Sanchez’s memory.
The five students who helped Sanchez before first responders transported him to Cottage Hospital organized the event, where over 20 friends, acquaintances, and supporters shared happy memories, as well as words of condolence and encouragement.
Through tears, the speakers commended Sanchez for his loyalty, positivity, and selflessness. “I knew Andy better than I knew myself,” said his roommate. “He was actually the first person to come up to me when I was at UCSB, and he offered me his friendship. … I will forever cherish his memory, but what I wanted to get at is that Andy always had a positive outlook on life. Andy always saw the best in people. He wouldn’t want his friends to be sad about his passing.”
According to Sheriff’s officials, Sanchez’s injury was caused by “punching his arm through a plate glass window.” Authorities also stated he had “displayed symptomology of being under the influence of a controlled substance.”
One of the first speakers Thursday night said she wanted to shed more light on who Sanchez was before he became widely known after Sunday’s incident. She said his parents would like people to understand that “he was a loved young man, the youngest of four and a STEM student who loved soccer.”
Sanchez’s manager at Chipotle where he worked had nothing but positive words about him. “He walked in and asked me for a job. Within a minute of talking to him I could not let this kid walk out the door,” he remembered. “He was presentable, respectful, enthusiastic, polite, happy, ambitious, curious, and conscientious. He made me like, ‘I can’t live without this kid next to me,’ even though I just met him.” Sanchez was hired that day. “We don’t do that at Chipotle,” the manager went on. “We don’t hire anybody on the spot. He made an impact.”