Now, his mother is looking for the public's help in finding his killer.
Esther Kim says her son, 15-year-old Neko Rivera, would do anything for his family and friends.
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"He's a rider. He rides for you, and he will ride for you hard, he's loyal," she said.
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On Monday, March 13, Kim says her son left school before noon. He ended up at a friend's home along the 6100 block of Algon Avenue in Philadelphia's Summerdale section.
Just after 12 p.m., police were called to the scene for reports of a person with a gun.
When officers arrived, they found Rivera with multiple gunshot wounds. He died a short time later at the hospital.
"Whatever he did, he didn't deserve that," Kim said.
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Police are investigating if the shooting had any connection to an earlier fight at Samuel Fels High School, which is less than a mile away.
However, Rivera was not a student there.
"I was always scared. I actually thought it was drugs I would lose him to. You have this fear when you have a son like you're going to lose them to the street. But yeah, it was the guns," said Kim.
The City of Philadelphia is offering up to $20,000 in reward money for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible.
All you have to do is call the Citizens Crime Commission at 215-546-TIPS. All calls will remain anonymous.
"I ask any man, woman, or child to share any memory or information they may have about Neko's case," Kim said.