A tribute that will last for years to come was unveiled on Friday and honors a local boy shot and killed as he was leaving football practice in September of 2022.
His mother joined with school leaders to celebrate a new scoreboard dedicated to Nicolas Elizalde and asked for everyone to do better for all of our children.
Roxborough High School has a brand new scoreboard.
The owners of the local ShopRite stores wanted to honor Elizalde who was just 14 years old when he was killed after a bunch of teenagers drove up and fired dozens of shots in his direction.
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Elizalde was killed in the shooting and four other football players were injured.
"I feel really bad today with Mother's Day coming up," Elizalde's mom, Meredith Elizalde, said.
His mom is getting ready for her second Mother's Day without her only child since his death. She has pushed hard for more gun safety laws and she is clearly frustrated with some state lawmakers who haven't taken her pleas to heart.
There are additional resources for people or communities that have endured gun violence in Philadelphia. Further information can be found here.
"I invite those people to come stand on this field and feel the heaviness that I feel without my child- my only child- on Mother's Day and every day. And all the heaviness the kids who were just playing a game and trying to do the right thing feel," she said.
Elizalde went to Walter B. Saul High School but he played for Roxborough.
Police say that he was not the intended target of the shooting. Elizalde was killed in the crossfire when police say the suspects fired over 60 shots.
"It's unimaginable to see a face one day and not see a face the next because they're no longer here. Our babies don't deserve that. They deserve much more and so much better," The Academies at Roxborough High School principal Kristin Williams Smalley said.
Over the course of the year or so after the shooting, police arrested the young men they say were involved in Elizalde's death.
Roxborough High School hosted a day of peace in his honor and they made a mural for him that was designed by muralist Calo Rosa and allowed students from both schools to participate in painting it to help bring the design to life.
The school has also added a lot more security cameras, but state and local leaders say there is still more work ahead for this school and across the entire region.
"That’s not too much for us to ask for to not have to look out your window and say 'why are the cops here' because another person has murdered. That’s not too much," State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta said.
The scoreboard is a nice tribute, but Elizalde's mother wants everyone to keep their eyes on the much bigger prize.
"Thank you for being here to celebrate but be here for the hard work too. And be here for our kids every day," she said.
