The legal consequences of the shooting outside Roxborough High School in Philadelphia in 2022 are still unfolding. The District Attorney's Office has confirmed that 19-year-old Zyheid Jones has been sentenced to 30-60 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges including third-degree murder, conspiracy, attempted murder, and related gun crimes. This sentence is for Jones' involvement in the murder of 14-year-old Nicholas Elizalde and the wounding of four other children, as well as the fatal shooting of 19-year-old Tahmir Jones the day before the incident at the high school.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner released a statement regarding the sentencing, as reported by the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, "This morning, 19-year-old Zyheid Jones was sentenced to 30-60 years by the Hon. Barbara McDermott after pleading guilty to two counts of Third-Degree Murder, two counts of Conspiracy, four counts of Attempted Murder, and related gun crimes, for his role in the murder of 14-year-old Nicholas Elizalde, the wounding of four other children outside Roxborough High School on September 27, 2022, and for fatally shooting 19-year-old Tahmir Jones one day prior." In his statement, Krasner also expressed hope for solace for the families of the victims and affirmed his office's commitment to pursuing justice against the remaining defendants.
In related updates, as per information obtained by CBS News Philadelphia, another defendant, 17-year-old Troy Fletcher, pleaded guilty to third-degree murder among other charges. Fletcher is set for sentencing in February. Furthermore, Dayron Burney-Thorn, Saleem Miller, and Yaaseen Bivins, the remaining defendants implicated in this case, are scheduled to stand trial in October 2025.
The incident, which occurred on the 4700 block of Pechin Street, took place after a junior varsity football practice game involving three schools, as documented by 6abc. It was reported that the suspects waited for six minutes before emerging from an SUV and firing more than 60 shots, leading to Elizalde's death who was not believed to have been one of the intended targets. Nicolas Elizalde was a freshman attending Saul High School and played football for Roxborough.
