Philadelphia police identify 14-year-old killed in shooting of 5 players

• The Associated Press
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  The Associated Press (AP) is a U.S.-based not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City.

Authorities have identified the 14-year-old youth killed in a shooting that also wounded four other teens who were ambushed as they walked away from a Philadelphia high school athletic field after a football scrimmage.

Police said they were still searching for at least two suspects in the shooting just outside Roxborough High School shortly after 4:30 p.m. Tuesday that killed Nicholas Elizalde of Havertown, a suburb just west of the city. Three of the wounded players were taken to hospitals for treatment of gunshot wounds.

Philadelphia officials expressed shock and outrage at the shooting, which came just after the city passed 400 homicides for the year, only slightly behind the pace of last year’s toll that ended up being the highest in at least six decades. The shooting also came hours after Mayor Jim Kenney signed an executive order banning guns and deadly weapons from the city’s indoor and outdoor recreation spaces including parks, basketball courts and pools.

Police said the other victims included a 17-year-old who was shot in the arm and leg, another 14-year-old shot in the thigh, a 15-year-old shot in the leg and a 14-year-old who was treated at the scene for a graze wound to the ankle. The three teens taken to the hospital were listed in stable condition Wednesday morning.

A spokeswoman for the School District of Philadelphia confirmed that Elizalde attended W.B. Saul High School, an agricultural charter school that partners with Roxborough High School for some of its athletics including football. All of the victims were members of the Roxborough High football team, police said.

All three schools involved in the scrimmages — Roxborough High School, Northeast High School and Boys Latin Charter School — opened for classes on schedule Wednesday morning.

Police said they would be pulling images from multiple surveillance cameras in the area and also examining social media and other sources to see whether the shooting may have stemmed from events earlier in the day.

Several Eagles players tweeted about the shooting Tuesday night, offering prayers for the families and lamenting that gun violence could shatter the safe space kids feel in sports.

“It must stop for these kids, their families and their teammates,” Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson wrote on Twitter Tuesday. “Sports are supposed to be a safe haven.”

The Eagles launched a campaign called “End Philly Gun Violence” in January that included partnering with police to host a gun buyback at Lincoln Financial Field in June in exchange for gift cards funded by the Eagles organization.