Mother of football player killed in Roxborough sues School District of Philadelphia in federal court

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The mother of a 14-year-old who was shot and killed after a high school football scrimmage in Roxborough is suing the School District of Philadelphia in federal court.

Nicolas Elizalde was among several teens shot outside Roxborough High School in September 2022.

He and four other victims were ambushed by five shooters. The other teens who were shot survived.

Elizalde was not the intended target.

His mother, Meredith Elizalde, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the School District of Philadelphia on Tuesday, the law firm of Kline & Specter announced.

The law firm said there were no security, law enforcement, or school district personnel in the area where the shooting occurred.

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 law firm said Meredith Elizalde is looking to hold the school district accountable for ignoring the threat of gun violence.

Tom Kline, who is among the attorneys representing the Elizalde family, said the school district knew that after-school hours were "the most dangerous time of day for Philadelphia students" and sporting events are a "magnet" for gun violence.

"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," Kline said in a statement.

The School District of Philadelphia said Tuesday that it does not comment on pending litigation.

Meredith Elizalde also sued the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) for negligence in state court.

Five suspects have been arrested in Nicolas Elizalde's death.