Philadelphia High School Shooters Who Fatally Shot 14-Year-Old Boy and Injured 4 Others Are Still at Large

By BERT HOOVER First Posted: Sep 30, 2022 03:33 AM EDT

A high school football player died, while four others were injured after two gunmen opened fire near Roxborough High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on Tuesday afternoon.

Police said two gunmen were seen shooting a group of teenagers while leaving a football field near the high school after a football scrimmage.

Authorities initially believed that all five victims were football players of the Roxborough High School. Police said four students were brought to nearby hospitals, while the fifth student with a graze wound was treated at the crime scene, WHYY reported.

Authorities identified the dead victim as 14-year-old Nicholas Elizalde of Havertown. Police said the two shooters fled the scene on foot.

Authorities noted that they were now looking at surveillance footage. However, they still have been unable to figure out who the suspects are and have not made any arrests.

Police Are on the Hunt for Roxborough High School Shooters in Philadelphia

Capt. Jason Smith of the Philadelphia Police said investigators thought Nicholas Elizalde was not the target. He noted that the gunmen waited for the victims in a parked SUV behind the school for around six minutes.

According to The National News, when the victims arrived, the shooters, who appeared to be juveniles, went out of the car and started shooting the teenagers.

Smith said one of them stayed in the car. He noted that "most if not all of the offenders appear to be juveniles themselves."

"Nonetheless, they are obviously very dangerous individuals, and the need is great to have them identified and taken off the streets as quickly as possible," he added.

According to Smith, one of the gunmen followed a 17-year-old boy, whom they believed to be one of the targets, down the street and shot him in the leg and arm.

The gunman stood over the victim and tried to fire another shot, but his gun failed or ran out of bullets. According to Smith, the 17-year-old victim was not a student of Roxborough High School and not a member of the football team with the other victims.

Roxborough Community Gathers to Remember Late High School Student in Philadelphia

A vigil was held Thursday night in the Roxborough community to remember Nicholas Elizalde. A memorial next to Roxborough High School receives tons of candles and flowers, while the area remains gloomy.

According to an investigator, Elizalde was just a bystander. He was innocent. Brett Quigley, a Roxborough volunteer firefighter who rushed and helped the teen, said he saw Elizalde go down.

"I wanted to go over to him and see how I could help," Quigley noted. Quigley said he ran over to Elizalde immediately with towels and water and checked his vital signs, but it was too late.

Meanwhile, the Roxborough neighborhood is finding it easier to deal with the devastating and unexpected loss of Elizalde through the power of prayer.

CBS News reported that the teen's mother also attended the gathering Thursday night at Gorgas Park to honor him. Flowers and candles were placed on a small monument behind Roxborough High School, where they were lit in honor of Elizalde.

"We have a strong community. We are family," said a Roxborough High School teacher. "There are good days and bad days in family, and we will get through this because we have each other."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Police Release Surveillance Video in Deadly Ambush Shooting Near Roxborough High School - From 6abc Philadelphia