Leaders dedicate half a million to security upgrades at Roxborough High School following deadly shooting

PHILADELPHIA - City leaders gathered outside Roxborough High School on Tuesday at announce thousands in security funding, two weeks after 14-year-old Nicholas Elizalde was killed and four others were wounded in an ambush shooting that erupted following a football scrimmage. 

The half million dollars will be used to improve cameras, install new door locks, and place new fire alarms among other improvements. Elizalde's mother joined politicians and educators at the school on Tuesday, and described the pain of losing her son to gun violence plaguing the city. 

"We’re in a state of emergency," she said.  "We’re in a war and no one has the luxury of sitting on the bench, I was the best mom that I knew how to be, I tucked my son in every night."

Inside the school there’s a dream wall where students write of their dreams. One student dreams of living to 30-years old.   Outside there was anger over what critics’ charge are loose state guns laws fueling the killing.

"What we’re doing here, as important as it is, won’t do what we want it to do and that’s to go in a time machine and we’ll not lose Nicholas to senseless violence," State Representative Malcom Kenyetta said.

Marge Lareue, Elizalde's grandmother, urged voters to go to the polls in November and speak loudly to get "these guns."