His mother is making an urgent appeal for help.
"They took my son from me. I don't know why," said Nilsa Romero.
Nilsa Romero still can't understand the senseless killing of her 18 year old son Emilio Lopez.
She says he had a good heart. He doted on his baby sister, Mileena, who wears a t-shirt bearing her brother's picture.
"Everything was his sister. He took care of her; took her to school, picked her up from school. He made sure that when I was at work, he was taking care of her," said Nilsa.
His mother says Emilio was a good student. He was also an aspiring rapper, and judging from the Facebook page dedicated to him, he had many friends who admired him.
On Tuesday, September 28, 2010, Emilio went to a friend's cookout near his home in the 7200 block of Rupert Street in Northeast Philadelphia.
Shots rang out around 10:50pm. Emilio was hit and rushed to the hospital. His mother followed the ambulance, but it was too late.
"The wheeled him in. I never got to say goodbye, never got to say my last words to my son," said Nilsa.
Authorities believe Emilio was also robbed.
So far, no one has given police a clear description of the shooter. That is way a $2,000 reward is being offered.
Anyone with information that might lead police to Emilio's killer is asked to contact the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS. All calls are anonymous.
Emilio's mother has a second job, making and selling $5.00 pins to help increase the reward. She is a grieving mother on a mission.
"I can't live with this," says Nilsa. "I want justice for my son. I need justice for my son, and I'm not going to stop until I get justice."
