The shooters are at large. Police said the boy who died was not the target.
in the ambush as he and the other teens walked away from an athletic field at Roxborough High School shortly after 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, authorities said. Philadelphia Police Captain Jason Smith said during a news conference Wednesday that police believe Elizalde was not the intended target of the shooters.
“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,” Smith said. Smith said police were looking into several possible motives, including a fight that occurred in the lunchroom earlier in the day Tuesday. Smith said the 17-year-old, who police say was one of two teens they believe to have been the shooters’ targets, does not attend Roxborough High and is not on the football team with the other victims. Police had earlier said all the victims were members of the football team.
The shooting came just after Philadelphia surpassed 400 homicides for the year, only slightly behind the pace of last year’s toll, which ended up being the highest in at least six decades. And it happened hours after Mayor Jim Kenney, a Democrat,, including parks, basketball courts and pools.