What we know about the Roxborough High School shooting

Gunfire rang out late Tuesday afternoon outside Roxborough High School, leaving a 14-year-old football player dead and injuring four other teenagers moments after a scrimmage.

Just one of the latest examples of Philadelphia’s gun violence crisis, the tragedy left the team, high school, and city shaken.

Here’s what we know and don’t know so far.

As a football scrimmage ended shortly after 4:30 p.m., five shooters waited near the football field for six minutes until the five victims walked by the shooters’ light-colored Ford Explorer.

Then, five boys exited the SUV and started firing. Four of the shooters ran back to the car after the initial volley of gunfire, police said. A fifth shooter continued running down the street, shooting at the 17-year-old victim, who was not a Roxborough football player and whom Philadelphia Police Capt. Jason Smith said he believes was targeted.

”That victim collapses on sidewalk. [The shooter] stands over top of him and continues firing,” Smith said Wednesday. “The only thing that stopped this individual from firing was that apparently he had run out of bullets and the slide had locked.”

Four boys were shot, and a fifth suffered a graze wound.

Nicolas Elizalde, 14, of Havertown, was struck in the chest, collapsing at the bottom of the stairs leading to his locker room. He later died of his injuries at Einstein Medical Center.

» READ MORE: A 14-year-old boy was killed and 4 other teens wounded in a shooting after a football scrimmage at Roxborough High School

Another 14-year-old was shot in his left thigh, and a 15-year-old was shot in the leg. A 17-year-old was struck in the right arm, as well as three times in his left leg. The three were being treated Tuesday night at Einstein and Temple hospitals.

The player who suffered a graze wound was not hospitalized.

He was Nicolas Elizalde, 14, of Havertown. He played on Roxborough’s football team, but attended W.B. Saul High School, a magnet school in the neighborhood that focuses on agriculture.

His mother spoke with The Inquirer last week.

Investigators do not believe Elizalde was targeted, Smith said.

The boy was “doing what students do: have football games at the end of the day,” First Deputy Police Commissioner John Stanford told reporters Tuesday.

» READ MORE: The Roxborough school shooting has educators asking: If a football scrimmage isn’t safe, what is?

They were in stable condition at hospitals, and investigators said they had spoken to three of them.

The 15-year-old victim’s mother, Ashley Hunter, told The Inquirer her son, whom she asked not be named, is a Roxborough freshman and junior varsity cornerback who is passionate about sports, video games, and music.

He underwent surgery after Tuesday’s attack, she said, and is expected to recover.

» READ MORE: Shooting hits home for mom of victim: ‘We’re getting out of here. This city is getting crazy.’

Philadelphia Police on Wednesday released surveillance video and screenshots of the five shooters, including 16-year-old Dayron Burney-Thorne who is expected to be charged with murder. It was not immediately clear what his role was in the attack.

The boys fled the scene in a light-colored Ford Explorer SUV, Smith said.

Authorities said this week they were investigating eight persons of interest, including some who may have been involved in other recent shootings.

Authorities ”have a lot of evidence to pore over,” including surveillance footage, Deputy Commissioner Frank Vanore said Wednesday. An SUV possibly linked to the shooting was recovered last week.

Police officials and Mayor Jim Kenney have asked Philadelphians to help investigators find the shooters, announcing a $40,000 reward for anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest in the case.

”This violence must stop and the cowards who use these weapons must be held accountable,” Kenney said. “I know there are people out there who know who these guys are.”

Police asked anyone with information to call 215-686-8477.

» READ MORE: ‘It’s surreal.’ After Roxborough shootings, officials, community leaders plead for an end to gun violence

It’s unclear, though police believe at least one of the victims was targeted.

”There was possibly some altercation in the lunchroom” earlier Tuesday, Smith said, noting investigators were still looking into several possible motives.

”Do we believe it was targeted? Yes,” Vanore said. “Who was the target? We’re still working to determine that.”

The shooting occurred after a three-way scrimmage between the junior varsity teams of Roxborough, Northeast High, and Boys Latin Charter School. The scrimmage began at 3 p.m. and wrapped up around 4:30 p.m. Dozens of parents and spectators were in attendance.

Police said they do not believe that the prior altercation was related to the football team or that any incident occurred during the scrimmage that led to the shooting.

» READ MORE: For area football coaches, the tragedy at Roxborough High hits home

Police recovered more than 60 fired cartridges at the scene.

The boys were shot at Pechin Street and Fairway Terrace, almost on Roxborough High School’s campus and by several athletic fields and parks.