A 14-year old boy tragically lost his life and four others were injured in a shooting after a high school football scrimmage in Philadelphia Tuesday.
The unfortunate event took place when the students were heading home after a scrimmage game between three high schools which ended around 4:30 p.m.
“I’m absolutely outraged. I”m shocked and frankly, I’m a little shaken,” Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said at a press conference. “This is horrifying what is happening out here.”
“Four of those students were transported to local hospitals. Unfortunately, one of them, a 14-year-old boy, Nicholas Elizalde, was pronounced dead at 9 p.m. from a gunshot wound to the chest. The fifth student was treated here for a graze wound. Very active scene still at this point in time,” he continued.
“We have at least two shooters that opened fire on these group of students that are pretty much finishing up a game,” Krasner added.
Mayor Jim Kenney showed his concern on Twitter: “Our administration will work with @PHLschools to ensure the Roxborough High School community gets the support they need to help students manage the trauma of losing a classmate,” he wrote.
“There are no words for what transpired earlier tonight,” added the mayor, who signed an executive order banning firearms and other deadly weapons from Philadelphia’s playgrounds and recreation centers on Tuesday.
“Another young life has been cut short and others injured by needless violence. Tonight, a family will begin to grapple with the loss of their loved one,” he continued
“I’ll say it again: schools, rec centers, and public spaces must be safe places. That’s why I signed an Executive Order today to ban guns at our @PhilaParkandRec sites. This violence must stop and the cowards who use these weapons must be held accountable.”
Homicide Captain Jason Smith said, “Five shooters waited for about six minutes to ambush the students as they left the football field. We have video footage of the horrific incident.”
Police say they found more than five dozen shell casings in the area after the attack.
“Following the initial barrage of gunfire, the video shows four of the five shooters returning to the suspect’s SUV. A fifth shooter continued shooting at a victim as both ran down Pechin Street,” Smith said. “The victim was ultimately struck by one of the offender’s bullets and he collapsed on the sidewalk.”
At this point, police believe the incident is not directly tied to the football scrimmage.
Elizalde was a member of the Roxborough football team, but attended Walter B. Saul, a nearby magnet school focused on agriculture.
Some parents, like Bud Rigner, were upset that there was no police present at the game Tuesday afternoon.
“No police presence whatsoever, that goes on Roxborough High School, and that goes on you that’s on you,” Rigner told City Councilmember Curtis Jones, who came to the school Wednesday morning. “I’ve got a 9th grader that’s afraid to go to school today.”
Councilman Jones responded that the incident could have still happened even with police present at the game.
“There are bad actors that no matter whether there is a camera, there is a police person, they will pull the trigger,” Jones said. “We have to deal with the predictable consequences that comes with that.”
Jones said first there needs to be an arrest and severe consequences for the taking of a young life in the incident.
Parents urged their children to get inside the school quickly and a perimeter was set up outside the school to give the students a safe corridor.
Michele Pellicone lives near the high school and said the violence in Philadelphia needs to stop.
“It’s a shame for the children that they can’t be in a safe neighborhood,” she said. “You say it doesn’t happen in your neighborhood, but it does happen in your neighborhood. And I feel terrible for the families that lost a child. I feel terrible for the kids that they can’t be safe in their own neighborhood and it’s affecting everybody. It’s very doom and gloom around here today.”
This kind of activity starts at home. No discipline, no upbringing and most likely no father being around either. They join gangs and this is the outcome.
The dems open border policy has become a multi-lever sales program for kids. This is either a turf war or some sober athletes standing up to a sales organization. Kids can make $5000 a week slinging coke, meth and weed. They don’t have to worry about inflation. The athletes were watching each others backs. The gang had to groom the other students and neighbors. Silver or lead is the cartels choices.
OK it’s illegal for anyone under 21 to carry a gun , and in this state with all their gun laws it’s almost impossible to get a carry permit . It is also an enhanced criminal charge to use a gun while committing any crime , it’ is also illegal to shoot people . it’s also illegal to murder any one . But we will pass a law that will make it illegal to have a gun at any playgrounds and recreation centers and that will make things safe? No it will only make it so no one there will be able to stop the criminal with a gun that does not give one flip about your laws and will insure no one will be able to stop any shooter there, making it a victim rich environment . FACT: lawful gun owners stop more crimes in progress then police, (Because they are there when the police are Not )to the tune of 100s of,1000s per year . And the real data showed that . In studies made by the FBI, CDC, And many independent university studies . At the very low end it’s 500,000 and at the high end of provability 3,000,000 and most of the time with out even having to fire a shot . Making something illegal only will only affect the lawful . It will not prevent or stop anything and does not make anyone any safer . It’s empty window dressing
This!! All of this!! What Michael says is true. I just told my husband the same thing. They don’t care you passed a law saying no guns. If they’re gonna shoot they’re gonna shoot. Makes no deference to them about a law. I’d rather be Abel to carry my gun and stop these fools! I pray they all get caught and spend the rest of their life in an 8×10 cell!