Benito Juarez students remember shooting victims, call for peace
CHICAGO (CBS) – Students at Benito Juarez Community Academy in Pilsen were back in class on Monday after a deadly shooting last Friday.
They called for an end to gun violence and justice for the two teens killed. CBS 2's Marybel Gonzalez went to the school to see how the students were doing.
During the walkout, students huddled around a makeshift memorial for Brandon Perez and Nathan Billegas, the two teens killed in that shooting. Two other teenagers were injured by the gunfire.
And on Monday, some community members met at that same memorial to drop off roses and light candles in their memory.
The two groups were asking for peace and an end to the senseless violence they said is happening all too often in their neighborhood.
At Benito Juarez Community Academy, about 100 students walked out with yellow balloons and signs. They marched around the school campus with those in hand.
"I want the world to see that we can have safety and we can be safe at school," said student Kiya Vaughn.
On campus Monday, more security and grief support was provided for students who said they are still in shock about what happened.
"I checked up on all my friends. They checked up on me," said Camilla Lopez, a Juarez student. "It was traumatizing. I couldn't even sleep at night, just replaying that same image in my head and after that, I was looking through my messages and just crying, crying, crying, crying."
Also asking for justice is the family of Billegas, 14. In Spanish, his grandmother Annette Hernandez said her grandson was a boy full of hopes and dreams. He wanted to save up to buy her a home one day. That's the kind of kid he was, always thinking of his family.
They said Billegas was a student at Chicago Bulls Prep Academy and he was at Benito Juarez on Friday picking up his sister who is a student there.
His grandmother was on her way to meet them both when she got the phone call that he had been shot. They don't believe he was the intended target of the shooting.
Police have released a photo of the suspect they believe is connected to the shooting. They have not announced any arrests and have yet to say anything about a possible motive.