Balloon release held for 15-year-old boy shot, killed in Pittsburgh area
MCKEES ROCKS, Pa. (KDKA) — The Sto-Rox Junior-Senior High School community came together on Thursday for a balloon release in honor of a 15-year-old boy who died in a shooting.
Ahsan Edwards, who had the nickname "Peanut," was shot and killed on April 20 in McKees Rocks. His family moved from New Jersey to McKees Rocks to escape violence. Unfortunately, violence still found him.
This sort of pain and tragedy for the school community is, unfortunately, all too familiar.
"We all miss him terribly. We've had tears, we've had our moments, we ache," said one speaker.
Superintendent Megan Van Fossan said she saw Edwards nearly every day.
"He was full of energy, funny, talkative," she said.
The teenager's death has taken a toll on the district's students.
"Kids were talking about being locked in their houses, not feeling safe to walk around their communities. That's not OK," the superintendent said.
It has left school officials to wonder.
"Who else is next? Who is next? Could it be me?" Van Fossan said.
She echoed something heard often.
"This didn't have to happen," Van Fossan said. "Community violence reduction is all of our responsibilities. It's not just about what leaders or educators do. It's what we all do. It takes us all standing up and all of us using our voices to say enough is enough."