Parents of Simon Gratz HS student killed trying to make sense of shooting
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Simon Gratz High School was closed Wednesday for what it called a day of healing after a 15-year-old student was fatally shot on his way to school.
Devin Weedon, a sophomore, was the youngest of 10 children.
Weedon's parents said they were forced to begin the tough task of planning his funeral. They are hurting and are frustrated.
Police now say the motive behind the shooting was robbery. They released images of the suspects wanted for the shooting.
"I don't understand it," Wytina Burnside, the mother of Weedon, said. "Somebody make it make sense to me because I don't understand it."
Devin Weedon's parents say their son loved to box and workout and he had dreams of one day opening his own gym.
"If he went into a room with 20 people and didn't know them, he came out with two or three people with a smile on his face," Gary Weedon, the 15-year-old's father, said.
The teen was a sophomore and on the football team at Simon Gratz High School.
He was on his way to class Tuesday morning when he was shot and killed less than two blocks from campus.
"They jumped him," Burnside said. "Three people jumped him. Please tell me why you had to shoot him."
Surveillance video obtained by CBS News Philadelphia shows a fight break out near 16th Street and West Hunting Park Avenue in Nicetown.
Police say the teen was approached by three people dressed in all black clothing and Devin Weedon was shot in the chest.
Police say the motive was robbery.
"We had scores of young people who saw what happened, who saw him lying on the sidewalk and ran into the school terrified," Scott Gordon, the CEO of Mastery Charter Schools, said.
Simon Gratz says it's now looking to increase security outside the building during the morning and at dismissal time to try and keep students safe.
"It was senseless, it was uncalled for," Gary Weedon said.
The teen's parents are frustrated, angry and demanding justice for their son.
"These kids don't have a regard for life," Burnside said. "They don't appreciate life, they don't know how precious life is."
No arrests have been made in this case and a $30,000 reward is still being offered.
Simon Gratz will reopen Thursday and counselors will remain on campus.