Meredith Elizalde, the mother of Nicolas Elizalde, a 14-year-old student who was killed in an ambush outside of Roxborough High School in 2022, has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the School District of Philadelphia.
In a statement from the offices of Tom Kline and Kline & Specter, Elizalde's attorneys claim the lawsuit alleges the district "organized after-school athletic events without adequate security and coordination with law enforcement, pursuant to policies, customs and inadequate training processes that were deliberately indifferent to the serious threat of gun violence at these events."
The slain boy's mother is also suing the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association for negligence in state court.
In a statement, Elizalde's attorneys argue that she is looking to hold the school district and athletic association accountable for ignoring the threat of gun violence.
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“Well before this tragedy, the School District of Philadelphia knew the hours after school are the most dangerous time of day for Philadelphia students, and that sports events like the one where Nicolas Elizalde was shot and killed are a magnet for the gun violence that is plaguing our city,” said Tom Kline of Kline & Specter, in a statement. “When a public school district places a 14-year-old student in the shooters’ crosshairs without security or protection, it is not just a tragedy. It is a violation of his civil rights.”
Elizalde's attorneys claim there were no security, law enforcement, or school district personnel in the area when 14-year-old Nicolas Elizalde was shot and killed on Sept. 27, 2022, in the moments following the conclusion of a football scrimmage hosted by Roxborough High School, where Elizalde played football on the junior varsity team.
Police believe that Elizalde was killed when several gunmen jumped out of an SUV and began firing at a group of high school football players following a scrimmage outside the school.
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The shooting killed Elizalde and injured four others.
According to a statement from Elizalde's attorneys, she was waiting nearby to pick up her son from the scrimmage when the shooting occurred and, she ran to him after the incident.
He died in her arms, Elizalde's attorneys said.
The lawsuit against the School District of Philadelphia was filed with the Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by Elizalde on behalf of her son’s estate.
Contacted Tuesday, a representative for the school district told NBC10 that the district doesn't comment on pending litigation.
Also, Elizalde's attorneys said that she filed a second lawsuit stemming from the shooting, in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, against the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, which organizes and governs high school athletic competition in Pennsylvania.
The PIAA also told NBC10 they couldn't comment, saying that they had not received enough information on this lawsuit.
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